E  World's  Best  Books 


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iStorrs  Agricultural  College  11 

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PARSONS    #    WORLDS    BEST    BOOKS 


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THE   WORLD^S    BEST    BOOKS 


THE 


WORLD'S  BEST  BOOKS 


A    KEY  TO    THE 


TREASURES  OF  LITERATURE 


BY 

FRANK    PARSONS 


THIRD  EDITION 

REVISED    AND    ENLARGED 


BOSTON 
LITTLE,   BROWN,   AND    COMPANY 

1893 


^ 


.f 


Copyright,  1889, 1891, 1893, 
By  Frank  Parsons. 


5inibtrsitg  ^rcss: 
John  Wilson  and  Son,  Cambridge,  U.S.A. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  THIRD  EDITION. 


\  T  the  request  of  the  pubHshers  the  following 
-^^^  statement  is  made  as  a  substitute  for  the  former 
indefinite  arrangement  in  respect  to  authorship. 

The  plan  and  composition  of  the  book  were  mine; 
the  work  of  my  colleagues,  F.  E.  Crawford  and  H.  T. 
Richardson,  consisting  of  criticism,  verifications,  and 
assistance  in  gathering  materials  for  the  appendix,  — 
services  of  great  value  to  me,  and  of  which  I  wish  to 
express  my  high  appreciation. 

A  few  additions  have  been  made  in  this  edition, 
and  the  book  has  been  carefully  revised  throughout. 

FRANK   PARSONS. 
Boston,  January,  1893. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION. 


'T^HE  public  and  the  critics  have  met  us  with  a 
welcome  far  more  cordial  than  we  had  dared  to 
expect,  though  not  more  so,  of  course,  than  we  hoped 
for.  When  did  a  thing  such  as  that  ever  happen? 
We  are  glad  to  discover  that  in  forming  our  expecta- 
tions wc  underrated  their  discernment,  or  our  own 
merit  (probably  not  the  latter,  judging  by  the  re- 
marks of  two  or  three  of  our  critics),  and  in  real 
earnest  we  are  grateful  for  their  high  appreciation 
of  our  work. 

Some  few —  a  very  few  —  have  found  fault  with  us, 
and  our  thanks  are  due  to  them  also ;  for  honest, 
kindly,  intelligent  criticism  is  one  of  the  most  power- 
ful means  of  growth.  The  fact  that  this  little  volume 
is  not  intended  as  an  infallible  guide,  or  as  anything 
more  than  a  stimulus  to  seek  the  best,  and  a  sugges- 
tion of  the  method  of  guiding  one's  self  and  one's 
children,  has  been  missed  by  some,  though  it  appears 


vl  PREFACE   TO   THE   SECOND   EDITION. 

distinctly  in  various  places  through  the  book,  and  is 
involved  in  what  we  deem  the  most  useful  part  of  our 
work,  —  the  remarks  following  Table  V.,  wherein  we 
endeavor  to  show  the  student  how  he  may  learn  to 
estimate  the  value  of  a  book  for  himself.  So  far 
were  we  from  wishing  to  decide  matters  which  mani- 
festly vary  with  the  wants  and  capacities  of  each  in- 
dividual, that,  we  emphatically  advised  the  reader  not 
to  accept  the  opinions  of  any  one  as  final,  but  to 
form  his  own  judgments. 

Some  have  failed  to  perceive  that,  in  ranking  the 
bookSf  we  have  considered,  not  merely  their  intrinsic 
nierity  but  also  the  needs  and  abilities  of  the  average 
English  reader,  making  a  compound  test  by  which 
to  judge,  not  the  relative  greatness  of  the  books  sim- 
ply, but  their  relative  claims  on  the  attention  of  the 
ordinary  reader.  This  also  was  set  forth,  as  we 
thought,  quite  distinctly,  and  was  in  fact  understood 
by  nearly  every  one,  but  not  by  all,  for  some  have 
objected  to  the  order  of  the  books  in  Table  I.,  affirm- 
ing, for  example,  that  the  ''Federalist"  and  Bryce's 
''American  Commonwealth  "  are  far  superior  to  "  Our 
Country,"  and  should  be  placed  above  it.  That 
would  be  true  if  intrinsic  greatness  alone  decided  the 
matter.  But  the  average  reader  with  his  needs  and 
abilities   is   a  factor   in  the  problem,  as  well  as  the 


PREFACE   TO   THE    SECOND    EDITION.  vii 

book  with  its  subject  and  style.  Now,  the  ordinary 
reader's  time  and  his  mental  power  are  both  Hmited. 
"  Our  Country "  is  briefer  and  simpler  than  the 
others,  and  its  contents  are  of  vital  interest  to  every 
American,  of  even  more  vital  interest  than  the  discus- 
sions of  the  "  Federalist"  or  Bryce ;  and  so,  although 
as  a  work  of  art  it  is  inferior  to  these,  it  must  rank 
above  them  in  this  book,  because  of  its  superior 
claims  upon  the  attention  of  the  average  reader.  In 
a  similar  manner  other  questions  of  precedence  are 
determined  on  the  principles  contained  in  the  remarks 
on  Table  V.  It  is  not  pretended,  however,  that  the 
arrangement  is  perfect  even  in  respect  to  our  own 
tests,  especially  among  th'e  authors  on  the  second 
shelf  of  Table  I.  The  difficulties  of  making  a  true 
list  may  be  illustrated  by  the  fact  that  one  critic  of 
much  ability  affirms  that  Marietta  HoUey  ought  to 
head  the  tenth  column,  as  the  best  humorist  of  all 
time;  another  says  it  is  absurd  to  place  her  above 
•the  Roman  wits  Juvenal  and  Lucian ;  and  a  third  de- 
clares with  equal  positiveness  that  she  ought  not  to 
appear  in  the  list  at  all.  We  differ  from  them  all, 
and  think  the  high  place  we  have  given  Miss  Holley 
is  very  near  the  truth. 

Communications   have   been  received  from  Oliver 
Wendell    Holmes,    Marietta   Holley,    Senator    Hoar, 


Vlll  PREFACE  TO  THE    SECOND   EDITION. 

Phillips  Brooks,  Bishop  J.  H.  Vincent,  Brooke  Her- 
ford,  Francis  Parkman,  ex-Gov.  John  D.  Long,  Gen. 
Benj.  F.  Butler,  T.  W.  Higginson,  and  many  other 
eminent  persons,  bringing  to  us  a  number  of  sugges- 
tions, most  of  which  we  have  adopted  to  the  great 
advantage  of  our  book,  as  we  hope  and  believe. 

We  have  added  a  number  of  valuable  works  to  the 
lists  of  the  first  edition,  and  have  written  a  new  chap- 
ter on  the  guidance  of  children,  the  means  of  training 
them  to  good  habits  of  reading,  and  the  books  best 
adapted  to  boys  and  girls  of  various  ages. 

If  any  one,  on  noting  some  of  the  changes  that 
have  been  made  in  this  edition,  feels  inclined  to  raise 
the  cry  of  inconsistency,  we  ask  him  to  remember 
the  declaration  of  Wendell  Phillips,  that  "  Inconsist- 
ency is  Progress."  There  is  room  for  still  further 
inconsistency,  we  do  not  doubt;  and  criticism  or 
suggestion  will  be  gladly  received. 

FRANK    PARSONS. 
Boston,  January,  1891. 


CONTENTS. 


Introductory  Remarks.  page 

Purposes  of  the  book  briefly  stated i 

System  in  reading 2 

Purposes  of  reading 2 

Its  influence  on  health  and  mind 2 

on  character 3 

on  beauty  and  accomplishments     ...         4 

Its  pleasures 5 

Quantity  and  quality  of  reading 5 

Selection  of  books =         6 

Order  of  reading ,     .         7 

Method  of  reading 8 

Importance  of  owning  the  books  you  read      ....         9 

Effect  of  bad  books 10 

useless  books 11 

good  books 12-15 

Abbreviations  used  in  this  Work 16 

Note  of  Explanation 17,  20 

The  First  Two  Shelves  of  the  World's  Library 

(Table.) 18-19 

Remarks  on  Table  1 21-80 

Religion  and  Morals 21-24 

Poetry  and  the  Drama 25-41 


X  CONTENTS. 

Page 

Science 41-46 

Biography .     46-48 

History 49-52 

Philosophy 53-56 

Essays 56-57 

Fiction 58-67 

Oratory 67-68 

Wit  and  Humor 68-71 

Fables  and  Fairy  Tales I^-IZ 

Travel 73-74 

Guides 75-76 

Miscellaneous 76-80 

Glimpses  of  the  Great  Fields  of  Thought, 

Arranged  for  the  purpose  of  securing  breadth  of 

mind  (Table  II.) 82-83 

A  Series  of  Brief  but  very  Choice  Selections 
from  general  literature,  constituting  a  year's 
course  for  the  formation  of  a  true  literary  taste 

(Table  III.) 84-93 

Groups  I.  and  II.,  Poetry 85-91 

Group  III.,  Prose 91-92 

Group  IV.,  Wit  and  Humor 93 

A    Short    Course    supplementary    to    the    Last 

(Table  IV.) 94-95 

What  to  Give  the  Children 97-127 

Special  Studies 123-127 

The  Distribution  of  the  World's  Great  Authors 
in  time  and  space,  with  a  parallel  column  of  con- 
temporaneous noted  historic  events  (Table  V  )     128-132 

Remarks  on  Table  V 133-148 

Definitions  and  divisions 133-135 

Eight  tests  for  the  choice  of  books I35-I39 

Intrinsic  merit 139-148 


CONTENTS.        .  xi 

PAGE 

Periods  of  English  Literature 150-160 

The  Pre-Shakspearian  age 150-152 

The  Shakspearian  age 152-155 

The  Post-Shakspearian  age 155-160 

Time  of  Milton 155-156 

Dryden 156-158 

Pope 158-159 

The    novelists,   historians,  and  sci- 
entists        159-160 

The  greatest  names  of  other  literatures:  — 

Greece,  Rome,  Italy,  France,  Spain,  Germany, 

Persia,  Portugal,  Denmark,  Russia      .     .     .  1 61-164 
The  fountains  of  national  literatures:  — 

Homer,  Nibelungenlied,  Cid,  Chansons,  Morte 

D'Arthur,  etc 165-167 


APPENDIX   I. 

The  Best  Thoughts  of  Great  Men  about 
Books  and  Reading 171-190 

APPENDIX   II. 

Books  used  in  the  Boston  Public  Schools 
as  Supplementary  Reading,  Text-Books, 
etc 191-207 


THE    WORLD'S    BEST    BOOKS 


INTRODUCTORY    REMARKS. 

THIS  book  is  the  result  of  much  reading  and 
thought,  teaching,  lecturing,  and  conversation, 
in  the  direction  of  its  subject-matter.  Its  purpose 
is  fivefold :  First,  to  call  attention  to  the  importance 
of  reading  the  best  literature  to  the  exclusion  of  all 
that  is  inferior,  by  setting  forth  the  benefits  that  may- 
be derived  from  the  former  and  the  injuries  that  are 
sure  to  result  from  the  latter.  Second,  to  select  the 
best  things  from  all  the  literatures  of  the  world;  to 
make  a  survey  of  the  whole  field  of  literature  and 
locate  the  mines  most  worthy  of  our  effort,  where 
with  the  smallest  amount  of  digging  we  may  find  the 
richest  ore ;  and  to  do  this  with  far  greater  precision, 
definiteness,  and  detail  than  it  has  ever  been  done 
before.  Third,  to  place  the  great  names  of  the  world's 
literature  in  their  proper  relations  of  time  and  space 
to  each  other  and  to  the  great  events  of  history, — 
accompanying  the  picture  with  a  few  remarks  about 
the  several  periods  of  English   Literature    and   the 

I 


2  THE  world's   BEST   BOOKS. 

Golden  Age  of  literature  in  each  of  the  great  nations. 
Fourth,  to  discuss  briefly  the  best  methods  of  reading, 
and  the  importance  of  system,  quantity,  quality,  due 
proportion,  and  thoroughness  in  reading,  and  of  the 
ownership  of  books  and  the  order  in  which  they 
should  be  read.  Fifth,  to  gather  into  a  shining  group, 
like  a  constellation  of  stars,  the  splendid  thoughts  of 
the  greatest  men  upon  these  subjects. 

The  book  is  meant  to  be  a  practical  handbook  of 
universal  literature  for  the  use  of  students,  business 
men,  teachers,  and  any  other  persons  who  direct  the 
reading  of  others,  and  for  the  guidance  of  scholars 
in  departments  other  than  their  own. 

1.  System  in  reading  is  of  as  much  importance  as 
it  is  in  the  business  of  a  bank  or  any  other  mercantile 
pursuit. 

2.  The  Purposes  of  Reading  should  ever  be  kept  in 
mind.  They  are  the  purposes  of  life;  namely,  health, 
mental  power,  character,  beauty,  accomplishments, 
pleasure,  and  the  knowledge  which  will  be  of  use 
in  relation  to  our  business,  domestic  life,  and  citizen- 
ship. Literature  can  aid  the  health,  indirectly,  by 
imparting  a  knowledge  of  the  means  of  its  attain- 
ment and  preservation  (as  in  works  on  physiology 
and  hygiene)  ;  and  directly,  by  supplying  that  exer- 
cise of  the  mind  which  is  essential  to  the  balance  of 
the  functions  necessary  to  perfect  health.  A  study 
of  literature  will  develop  the  mind —  the  perception, 
memory,  reason  (especially  true  of  science  and  philo- 
sophy), and  the  imagination  (especially  the  study  of 


INTRODUCTORY    REMARKS.  3 

poetry  and  science)  —  directly,  by  exercising  those 
all-important  faculties ;  and  indirectly,  by  yielding  a 
knowledge  of  the  conditions  of  their  existence  and 
strength.  On  the  other  hand,  the  mind  may  be 
greatly  injured,  if  not  wholly  destroyed,  by  pouring 
into  it  a  flood  of  filth  and  nonsense ;  or  by  a  torrent 
of  even  the  best  in  literature,  so  rapid  and  long  con- 
tinued that  it  cannot  be  properly  absorbed  and  di- 
gested. The  evil  effects  of  cramming  the  mind  are 
only  too  often  seen  about  us. 

Literature  can  build  or  destroy  the  character  both 
directly  and  indirectly.  Poetry,  religion,  philosophy, 
fiction,  biography,  history,  —  indeed,  all  sorts  of  writ- 
ings in  some  degree  make  us  more  sympathetic, 
loving,  tender,  noble,  generous,  kind,  and  just,  or 
the  opposite,  by  the  simple  power  of  exercise,  if  for 
no  other  reason.  If  we  freely  exercise  the  muscles 
of  the  arm,  we  shall  have  more  vigor  there.  If  we 
continually  love,  our  power  and  tendency  to  love 
will  grow.  The  poet's  passion,  passing  the  gates  of 
the  eye  and  ear  into  our  souls,  rouses  our  sympathies 
to  kindred  states  of  feeling.  We  love  when  he  loves, 
and  weep  when  he  weeps;  and  all  the  while  he  is 
moulding  our  characters,  taking  from  or  adding  to 
the  very  substance  of  our  souls.  Brave  words  change 
the  coward  to  a  hero  ;  a  coward's  cry  chills  the  bravest 
heart.  A  boy  who  reads  of  crime  and  bravery  sadly 
mixed  by  some  foul  traitor  to  the  race,  soon  thinks 
that  to  be  brave  and  grand  he  must  be  coarse  and 
have  the  blood  of  villany  and  rashness  pulsing  from 


4  THE   WORLD  S   BEST   BOOKS. 

his  misled  heart.  Not  all  the  books  that  picture  vice 
are  harmful.  If  they  show  it  in  its  ^truth,  they  drive 
us  from  it  by  its  very  loathsomeness ;  but  if  they  gild 
it  and  plume  it  with  pleasure  and  power,  beware. 
Literature,  too,  can  give  us  a  knowledge  of  the  means 
for  the  development  of  character,  and  the  inspiration 
to  make  the  best  use  of  these  means.  Books  of 
morals,  religion,  biography,  science,  poetry,  and  fic- 
tion especially  hold  these  treasures. 

In  the  attainment  and  enrichment  of  beauty,  litera- 
ture has  a  work  to  do.  The  choicest  beauty  is  the 
loveliness  of  soul  that  lights  the  eye  and  prints  its 
virtue  in  the  face ;  and  as  our  reading  moulds  the 
mind  and  heart  to  beauty,  their  servants  at  the  door- 
ways ever  bend  to  their  instructions  and  put  on 
the  livery  of  their  lords.  Even  that  beauty  which 
is  of  the  rounded  form,  the  soft  cheek's  blooming 
tinge,  the  rosy  mouth,  and  pearly  lip,  owes  its 
debt  to  health ;  and  that,  as  has  been  seen,  may 
profit  much  by  literature.  And  beyond  all  this  we 
learn  the  means  of  great  improvement  in  our  come- 
liness,—  how  crooked  may  be  changed  to  straight, 
and  hollow  cheeks  to  oval ;  frowns  to  smiles,  and  lean 
or  gross  to  plump ;  ill-fitting,  ill-adapted  dress  to 
beautiful  attire  ;  a  shambling  gait  to  a  well-conducted 
walk,  —  and  even  the  stupid  stare  of  ignorance  be 
turned  to  angel  glances  of  indwelling  power  and 
interested   comprehension. 

Accomplishments ,  too,  find  help  in  written  works  of 
genius,  not  merely  as  aff"ording  a  record  of  the  best 


INTRODUCTORY    REMARKS.  5 

methods  of  acquiring  any  given  art,  but  directly  as 
supplying  the  substance  of  some  of  the  greatest  of  all 
accomplishments,  —  those  of  inspiring  eloquent  con- 
versation, and  of  writing  clear  and  beautiful  English. 

Pleasure  manifestly  is,  by  all  these  aids  to  beauty, 
health,  and  power,  much  beholden  to  the  books  we 
read  ;  but  more  than  this,  the  very  reading  of  a  worthy 
book  is  a  delicious  joy,  and  one  that  does  not  drain 
but  fills  the  fount  from  which  the  happiness  of  others 
comes.  Plato,  Fenelon,  Gibbon,  and  a  host  of  others 
name  the  love  of  books  the  chiefest  charm  and  glory 
of  their  lives. 

3.  The  Quantity  and  Quality  of  what  we  read  should 
have  our  careful  thought.  Whoever  lives  on  liter- 
ary husks  and  intoxicants,  when  corn  and  wheat 
and  milk  are  just  as  easily  within  his  reach,  is 
certainly  no  wiser  than  one  who  treats  his  phys- 
ical receptacle  in  the  same  way,  and  will  as  surely 
suffer  from  ill  feeding  in  diminished  vital  force.  In- 
deed, he  may  be  glad  if  he  escapes  acquiring  in- 
tellectual dyspepsia  or  spiritual  delirium  tremens. 
Even  of  the  best  of  reading  there  may  be  too  much 
as  well  as  not  enough.  More  than  we  can  assimi- 
late is  waste  of  time  and  energy.  Besides  the  regu- 
lation of  the  total  quantity  we  read,  with  reference 
to  our  powers  of  digestion,  we  must  watch  the  rela- 
tive amounts  of  all  the  various  kinds  of  literary  sus- 
tenance we  take.  A  due  proportion  ought  to  be 
maintained  by  careful  mixture  of  religious,  scienti- 
fic,  poetic,  philosophic,  humorous,  and  other  read- 


6  THE  world's  best  BOOKS. 

ing.  A  man  who  exercises  but  one  small  muscle  all 
his  days  would  violate  the  laws  of  health  and  power. 
The  greatest  mind  is  that  which  comes  the  nearest 
to  attainment  of  a  present  perfect  picture  in  the 
mind  of  all  the  universe,  past,  present,  and  to  come. 
The  greatest  character  is  that  which  gets  the  greatest 
happ'iness  for  self  through  fullest  and  most  powerful 
activities  for  others,  and  requires  for  its  own  work, 
existence,  and  delight,  the  least  subtraction  from  the 
world's  resources  of  enjoyment  The  greatest  man 
is  he  who  combines  in  due  proportion  and  com- 
pletest  harmony  the  fullest  physical,  emotional,  and 
intellectual  life. 

4.  The  Selection  of  books  is  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance, in  view  of  their  jnfluence  upon  charac- 
ter. All  the  reasons  for  care  that  apply  to  the 
choice  of  friends  among  the  living,  have  equal 
force  in  reference  to  the  dead.  The  same  tests 
avail  in  one  case  as  in  the  other,  —  reputation  and 
personal  observation  of  the  words  and  deeds  of 
those  we  think  to  make  companions.  We  may  at 
will  and  at  slight  cost  have  all  the  great  and  noble 
for  our  intimate  friends  and  daily  guests,  who  will 
come  when  we  call,  answer  the  questions  we  put, 
and  go  when  we  wish.  And  better  yet,  however 
long  we  talk  to  them,  no  other  friends  will  be  kept 
waiting  in  the  anterooms,  longing  to  take  our  place. 
Our  most  engrossing  friendship,  though  we  keep 
them  always  with  us,  will  produce  no  interfer- 
ence with  their  equal  friendship  with  all  the  world 


INTRODUCTORY   REMARKS.  7 

besides.  We  may  associate  with  angels  and  become 
angelic,  or  with  demons  and  become  satanic. 

Besides  the  difference  in  the  nature  of  books,  the 
very  number  of  them  commands  a  choice.  In  one 
library  there  are  three  million  volumes;  in  the  Bos- 
ton Public  Library  about  three  hundred  thousand, 
or  five  hundred  thousand  including  pamphlets.  In 
your  short  life  you  can  read  but  a  trifling  part  of  the 
world's  literature.  Suppose  you  are  fortunate  enough 
to  be  able  to  read  one  book  a  week,  in  thirty  years 
you  would  read  but  fifteen  hundred  books.  Use, 
then,  every  care  to  get  the  best.  If  it  were  in  your 
equal  choice  to  go  to  one  of  two  reputed  entertain- 
ments and  but  one,  it  surely  would  be  worth  your 
while  to  know  their  character  before  selecting.  One 
might  be  Beethoven's  loveliest  symphony,  the  other 
but  a  minstrel  show. 

5.  The  Order  of  our  Reading  must  be  carefully  at- 
tended to.  The  very  best  books  are  not  always  to 
be  first  read.  If  the  reader  is  young  or  of  little 
culture,  the  simplicity  of  the  writing  must  be  taken 
into  account,  for  it  is  of  no  use  to  read  a  book  that 
cannot  be  understood.  One  of  mature  and  culti- 
vated mind  who  begins  a  course  of  systematic  read- 
ing may  follow  the  order  of  absolute  value ;  but  a 
child  must  be  supplied  with  easy  books  in  each  de- 
partment, and,  as  his  powers  develop,  with  works 
of  increasing  difficulty,  until  he  is  able  to  grasp  the 
most  complex  and  abstruse.  If  you  take  up  a  book 
that  is  recommended  to  you   as  one  of  the  world's 


8  THE   world's   best  BOOKS. 

best,  and  find  it  uninteresting,  be  sure  the  trouble 
is  in  you.  Do  not  reject  it  utterly,  do  not  tell  people 
you  do  not  like  it;  wait  a  few  months  or  years,  then 
try  it  again,  and  it  may  become  to  you  one  of  the 
most  precious  of  books. 

6.  The  Method  of  your  reading  is  an  important 
factor  in  determining  its  value  to  you.  It  is  in  pro- 
portion to  your  conquest  of  what  is  worthy  in  litera- 
ture that  you  gain.  If  you  pour  it  into  your  mind 
so  fast  that  each  succeeding  wave  ^forces  the  former 
out  before  its  form  and  color  have  been  fixed,  you 
are  not  better  off,  but  rather  worse,  because  the 
process  washes  out  the  power  of  memory.  Memory 
depends  on  health,  attention,  repetition,  reflection, 
association  of  ideas,  and  practice.  Some  books 
should  be  very  carefully  read,  looking  to  both 
thought  and  form;  the  best  passages  should  be 
marked  and  marginal  notes  made;  reflection  should 
•digest  the  best  ideas,  until  they  become  a  part  of  the 
tissue  of  your  own  thought;  and  the  most  beautiful 
-and  striking  expressions  should  be  verbally  com- 
mitted. If  you  saw  a  diamond  in  the  sand,  surely 
you  would  fix  it  where  it  might  adorn  your  person. 
If  you  find  a  sparkling  jewel  in  your  reading,  fix 
it  in  your  heart  and  let  it  beautify  your  conversation. 
Shakspeare,  Milton,  Homer,  Bacon,  ^schylus,  and 
Emerson,  and  nearly  all  the  selections  in  Table  III. 
should  be  read  in  this  way.  Other  books  have  value 
principally  by  reason  of  the  line  of  thought  or  argu- 
ment of  which  the  whole  book  is  an  expression;   such 


INTRODUCTORY   REMARKS.  9 

for  the  most  part  are  books  of  history,  science,  and 
philosophy.  While  reading  them  marks  or  notes 
should  be  made ;  so  that  when  the  book  is  finished, 
the  steps  of  thought  may  several  times  be  rapidly 
retraced,  until  the  force  and  meaning  of  the  book 
becomes  your  own  forever.  Still  other  books  may 
be  simply  glanced  through,  it  being  sufficient  for  the 
purposes  of  the  general  reader  to  have  an  idea  of 
the  nature  of  their  contents,  so  that  he  may  know 
what  he  can  find  in  them  if  he  has  need.  Such 
books  to  us  are  the  Koran,  the  works  of  the  lesser 
essayists,  orators,  and  philosophers.  Ruskin  says 
that  no  book  should  be  read  fast;  but  it  would  be  as 
sensible  to  say  that  we  should  never  walk  or  ride  fast 
over  a  comparatively  uninteresting  country.  Adap- 
tation of  method  to  the  work  in  hand  is  the  true  rule. 
We  should  not  read  "  Robert  Elsmere  "  as  slowly  and 
carefully  as  Shakspeare.  As  the  importance  of  the 
book  diminishes,  the  speed  of  our  journey  through  it 
ought  to  increase.  Otherwise  we  give  an  inferior 
book  equal  attention  with  its  superiors. 

7.  Own  the  Books  you  Read,  if  possible,  so  that  you 
may  mark  them  and  often  refer  to  them.  If  you  are 
able,  buy  the  best  editions,  with  the  fullest  notes  and 
finest  binding,  —  the  more  beautiful,  the  better.  A 
lovely  frame  adds  beauty  to  the  picture.  If  you 
cannot  buy  the  best-dressed  books,  get  those  of 
modest  form  and  good  large  type.  If  pennies  must 
be  counted,  get  the  catalogues  of  all  the  cheap 
libraries  that  are   multiplymg   so   rapidly  of  late,  — 


lO  THE    world's   best   BOOKS. 

the  Elzevir,  Bohn,  Morley,  Camelot,  National,  Cassel, 
Irving,  Chandos,  People's  Library,  World's  Library, 
etc.,  —  and  own  the  books  you  learn  to  love.  Use 
the  public  libraries  for  reference,  but  do  not  rely 
on  them  for  the  standard  literature  you  read.  It  is 
better  far  to  have  an  eight  cent  Bunyan,  twelve  cent 
Bacon,  or  seven  cent  Hamlet  within  your  reach  from 
day  to  day,  and  marked  to  suit  yourself,  than  to  read 
such  books  from  the  library  and  have  to  take  them 
back.  That  is  giving  up  the  rich  companionship 
of  new-found  friends  as  soon  as  gained.  The  dif- 
ference between  talking  with  a  sage  or  poet  for  a 
few  brief  moments  once  in  your  lifetime,  and  having 
him  daily  with  you  as  your  friend  and  teacher  is  the 
difference  between  the  vales  and  summits  of  this  life. 
The  immense  importance  of  possessing  the  best 
books  for  your  own  cannot  be  too  strongly  impressed 
upon  you,  nor  the  value  of  clothing  your  noble 
friends  as  richly  as  you  can.  If  they  come  to  you 
with  outward  beauty,  they  will  claim  more  easily  their 
proper  share  of  your  attention  and  regard.  Get  an 
Elzevir  Shakspeare  if  you  can  afford  no  other,  but 
purchase  the  splendid  edition  by  Richard  Grant 
White,  if  you  can.  Even  if  you  have  to  save  on 
drink  and  smoke  and  pie-crust  for  the  purpose,  you 
never  will  regret  the  barter. 

8.  Bad  Books  corrupt  us  as  bad  people  do.  When- 
ever they  are  made  companions,  insensibly  we  learn 
to  think  and  feel  and  talk  and  act  as  they  do  in 
degree   proportioned  to   the  closeness   that  we  hug 


INTRODUCTORY   REMARKS.  II 

them  to  our  hearts.  Books  may  be  bad,  not  only 
by  imparting  evil  thoughts,  awakening  lust  and  gild- 
ing vice,  but  by  developing  a  false  philosophy, 
ignoble  views  of  life,  or  errors  in  whatever  parts 
of  science  or  religion  they  may.  touch.  Avoid  foul 
books  as  you  would  shun  foul  men,  for  fear  you 
may  be  like  them ;  but  seek  the  errors  out  and 
conquer  them.  Spend  little  time  in  following  a 
teacher  you  have  tested  and  found  false,  but  do 
the  testing  for  yourselves,  and  take  no  other  per- 
son's judgment  as  to  what  is  truth  or  error.  Truth 
is  always  growing;  you  may  be  the  first  to  catch 
the  morning  light.  The  friend  who  warns  you  of 
some  book's  untruth  may  be  himself  in  error,  led 
by  training,  custom,  or  tradition,  or  unclearly  see- 
ing in  the  darkness  of  his  prejudice. 

9.  Useless  Books.  Many  books  that  are  not  posi- 
tively bad  are  yet  mere  waste  of  time.  A  wise  man 
will  not  spend  the  capital  of  his  life,  or  part  with 
the  wealth  of  his  energies  except  he  gets  a  fair 
equivalent.  He  will  demand  the  highest  market 
price  for  his  time,  and  will  not  give  his  hours  and 
moments  —  precious  pieces  of  his  life  —  for  trash, 
when  he  can  buy  with  them  the  richest  treasures 
of  three  thousand  years  of  thought.  You  have  not 
time  to  drink  the  whole  of  human  life  from  out  the 
many  colored  bottles  of  our  literature ;  will  you  take 
the  rich  cream,  or  cast  that  aside  for  the  skimmed 
milk  below,  or  turn  it  all  out  on  the  pathway  and 
swallow  the  dirt  and  the  dregs  in  the  bottom? 


12  THE  world's   BEST   BOOKS. 

10.  Good  Books.  —  A  Short  Sermon.  —  If  you  are  a 
scholar,  professor  or  lawyer,  doctor  or  clergyman, 
do  not  stay  locked  in  the  narrow  prison  of  your  own 
department,  but  go  out  into  the  world  of  thought 
and  breathe  the  air  that  comes  from  all  the  quarters 
of  the  globe.  Read  other  books  than  those  that  deal 
with  your  profession,  —  poetry,  philosophy,  and  travel. 
Get  out  of  the  valleys  up  on  to  the  ridges,  where  you 
can  see  what  relation  your  home  bears  to  the  rest  of 
the  world.  Go  stand  in  the  clamor  of  tongues,  that 
you  may  learn  that  the  truth  is  broader  than  any 
man's  conception  of  it  and  become  tolerant.  Look 
at  the  standards  that  other  men  use,  and  correct  your 
own  by  them.  Learn  what  other  thinkers  and  work- 
ers are  doing,  that  you  may  appreciate  them  and  aid 
them.  Learn  the  Past,  that  you  may  know  the  Future. 
Do  not  look  out  upon  the  world  through  one  small 
window ;  open  all  the  doorways  of  your  soul,  let  all 
genius  and  beauty  come  in,  that  your  life  may  be 
bright  with  their  glory. 

If  you  are  a  busy  merchant,  artisan,  or  laborer,  you 
too  can  give  a  little  time  each  day  to  books  that  are 
the  best.  If  Plato,  Homer,  Shakspeare,  Tennyson, 
or  Milton  came  to  town  to-day,  you  would  not  let  the 
busiest  hour  prevent  your  catching  sight  of  him ;  you 
would  stand  a  half  day  on  the  street  in  the  sun  or  the 
snow  to  catch  but  a  glimpse  of  the  famous  form ;  but 
how  much  better  to  receive  his  spirit  in  the  heart 
than  only  get  his  image  on  the  eye !  His  choicest 
thought  is  yours  for  the  asking. 


INTRODUCTORY   REMARKS.  13 

If  you  are  a  thoughtless  boy  or  silly  girl,  trying  the 
arts  that  win  the  matrimonial  prize,  remember  that 
there  are  no  wings  that  fly  so  high  as  those  of  sense 
and  thought  and  inward  beauty.  Remember  the  old 
song  that  ends,  — 

"  Beauty  vanish,  wealth  depart, 
Wit  has  won  the  lady's  heart." 

Even  as  a  preparation  for  a  noble  and  successful 
courtship,  the  best  literature  is  an  absolute  neces- 
sity. Perhaps  you  cannot  travel :  Humboldt,  Cook, 
and  Darwin,  Livingstone,  and  Stanley  will  tell  you 
more  than  you  could  see  if  you  should  go  where 
they  have  travelled.  Perhaps  you  cannot  have  the 
finest  teachers  in  the  studies  you  pursue :  what  a 
splendid  education  one  could  get  if  he  could  learn 
philosophy  with  Plato,  Kant,  and  Spencer;  astron- 
omy with  Galileo,  Herschel,  and  Laplace ;  mathe- 
matics with  Newton  or  Leibnitz ;  natural  history 
with  Cuvier  or  Agassiz ;  botany  with  Gray;  geol- 
ogy with  Lyell  or  Dawson ;  history  with  Bancroft ; 
and  poetry  with  Shakspeare,  Milton,  Dante,  and 
Homer !  Well,  those  very  teachers  at  their  best  are 
yours  if  you  will  read  their  books.  Each  life  is  a 
mixture  of  white  and  black,  no  one  is  perfect;  but 
every  worthy  passage  and  ennobling  thought  you  read 
adds  to  the  white  and  crowds  out  the  black ;  and  of 
what  enormous  import  a  few  brief  moments  daily 
spent  with  noble  books  may  be,  appears  when  we 
remember   that  each    act  brings    after  it  an  infinite 


14  THE  world's   best  BOOKS. 

series  of  consequences.  It  is  an  awe-inspiring  truth 
to  me  that  with  the  color  of  my  thought  I  tinge  the 
stream  of  Hfe  to  its  remotest  hour;  that  some  poor 
brother  far  out  on  the  ocean  of  the  future,  strugghng 
to  breast  the  biUows  of  temptation,  may  by  my  hand 
be  pulled  beneath  the  waves,  ruined  by  the  influences 
I  put  in  action  now;  that,  standing  here,  I  make 
the  depths  of  all  eternities  to  follow  tremble  to  the 
music  of  my  life :  as  Tennyson  has  put  it  so  beauti' 
fully  in  his  "  Bugle  Song,"  — 

"  Blow,  let  us  hear  the  purple  glens  replying  : 
Blow,  bugle ;  answer,  echoes,  dying,  dying,  dying. 

"  O  love,  they  die  in  yon  rich  sky, 
They  faint  on  hill  or  field  or  river : 
Our  echoes  rollftofn  soul  to  soul, 
And  grow  for  ever  atidfor  ever.'''* 

How  careful  we  should  be  of  every  moment  if  we 
had  imaginative  power  enough  to  fully  realize  the 
meaning  of  the  truth  that  slightly  differing  actions 
now  may  build  results  at  last  as  wide  apart  as  poles 
of  opposite  eternities  !  Even  idleness,  the  negative  of 
goodness,  would  have  no  welcome  at  our  door.  Some 
persons  dream  away  two  thirds  of  life,  and  deem 
quiescence  joy;  but  that  is  certainly  a  sad  mistake. 
The  nearer  to  complete  inaction  we  attain,  the  nearer 
we  are  clay  and  stone ;  the  more  activity  we  gain, 
that  does  not  draw  from  future  power,  the  higher 
up  the  cliffs  of  life  we  climb,  and  nearer  to  celestial 
life  that  never  sleeps.     Let  no  hour  go  idly  by  that 


INTRODUCTORY   REMARKS.  I  5 

can  be  rendered  rich  and  happy  with  a  glorious  bit 
of  Shakspeare,  Dante,  or  Carlyle.  Let  us  never 
be  deluded  with  the  praise  of  peace,  excepting  that 
of  heart  and  conscience  clear  of  all  remorse.  It 
is  ambition  that  has  climbed  the  heights,  and  will 
throuo;h  all  the  future.  Give  me  not  the  dead  and 
hopeless  calm  of  indolent  contentment,  but  far  rather 
the  storm  and  the  battle  of  life,  with  the  star  of  my 
hopes  above  me.  Let  me  sail  the  central  flow  of  the 
stream,  and  travel  the  tides  at  the  river's  heart.  I  do 
not  wish  to  stay  in  any  shady  nook  of  quiet  water, 
where  the  river's  rushing  current  never  comes,  and 
straws  and  bubbles  lie  at  rest  or  slowly  eddying  round 
and  round  at  anchor  in  their  mimic  harbor.  How 
often  are  we  all  like  these  imprisoned  straws,  revolv- 
ing listlessly  within  the  narrow  circle  of  the  daily 
duties  of  our  lives,  gaining  no  new  truth,  nor  deeper 
love  or  power  or  tenderness  or  joy,  while  all  the 
world  around  is  sweeping  to  the  sea !  How  often 
do  we  let  the  days  and  moments,  with  their  wealth 
of  life,  fly  past  us  with  their  treasure  !  Youth  lies 
in  her  loveliness,  dreaming  in  her  drifting  boat,  and 
wakes  to  find  her  necklace  has  in  some  way  come 
unfast,  and  from  the  loosened  ribbon  trailing  o'er  the 
rail  the  lustrous  pearls  have  one  by  one  been  slipping 
far  beyond  her  reach  in  those  deep  waters  over  w^hich 
her  slumbers  passed.  Do  not  let  the  pearls  be  lost. 
Do  not  let  the  moments  pass  you  till  they  yield  their 
wealth  and  add  their  beauty  to  your  lives. 


l6  THE  world's   best  BOOKS. 

1 1 .   Abbreviations.  — 

R.  means.  Read  carefully.  . 

D.  means,  Digest  the  best  passages  ;  make  the  thought  and 
feeling  your  own. 

C.  means,  Commit  passages  in  which  valuable  thought  or 
feeling  is  exquisitely  expressed. 

G.  means,  Grasp  the  idea  of  the  whole  book  ;  that  is,  the 
train  of  the  author's  thought,  his  conclusions,  and  the 
reasons  for   them. 

S.  means.  Swallow  ;  that  is,  read  as  fast  as  you  choose,  it  not 
being  worth  while  to  do  more  than  get  a  general  im- 
pression of  the  book. 

T.  means.  Taste  ;  that  is,  skip  here  and  there,  just  to  get  an 
idea  of  the  book,  and  see  if  you  wish  to  read  more. 

e.  means  easy ;  that  is,  of  such  character  as  to  be  within  the 
easy  comprehension  of  one  having  no  more  than  a 
grammar-school  education  or  its  equivalent ;  and  it 
applies  to  all  books  that  can  be  understood  without 
either  close  attention  or  more  than  an  ordinary  New 
England  grammar-school  training. 

m.  means  mediuui ;  that  is,  of  such  character  as  to  require 
the  close  attention  called  "study,"  or  a  high-school 
education,  or  both  ;  and  it  applies  to  books  the  degree 
of  whose  difficulty  places  them  above  the  class  e.  and 
below  the  class  d. 

d.  means  difficult ;  that  is,  beyond  the  comprehension  of  an 
ordinary  person  having  only  a  New  England  high- 
school  education  or  its  equivalent,  even  with  close 
study,  unless  the  reader  already  has  a  fair  understand- 
ing of  the  sitbject  of  the  book.  In  order  to  read  with 
advantage  books  that  are  marked  d.,  the  mind  should 
be  prepared  by  special  reading  of  simpler  books  in 
the  same  department  of  thought. 


NOTE   OF   EXPLANATION.  1/ 


TABLE   I. 

NOTE   OF  EXPLANATION. 

Table  I.  contains  a  list  of  autliors  whose  booi<s,  on  principle 
and  authority,  have  the  strongest  claims  on  the  attention  of  the 
average  reader  of  English.  They  are  arranged  from  left  to  right 
in  the  order  of  importance  of  the  divisions  of  the  subject  matter 
regarded  as  wholes,  and  from  above  downward  in  the  order  of 
their  value  in  relation  to  the  highest  standard  in  their  own  de- 
partment. The  iiu?nbe7-s  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  ranking, 
but  refer  to  notes  that  will  be  found  on  the  pages  following  the 
table.  There  is  also,  at  the  head  of  the  notes  relating  to  each 
column  of  the  table,  a  special  note  on  the  subject  matter  of  that 
column. 

The  upper  part  of  the  table  represents  the  first  shelf  of 
the  world's  library,  and  contains  the  books  having  the  very 
strongest  claims  upon  the  attention  of  all,  —  books  with  which 
every  one  should  endeavor  to  gain  an  acquaintance,  at  least  to 
the  extent  indicated  in  the  notes. 

The  lower  part  of  the  table  represents  the  second  shelf  of  the 
world's  library,  and  contains  books  which  in  addition  to  those 
of  the  first  shelf  should  enter  into  a  liberal  education. 

It  must  be  always  kept  in  mind  that  intrinsic  merit  alone 
does  not  decide  the  position  of  a  book  in  this  table;  for  in  order 
to  test  the  claim  of  a  book  upon  the  attention  of  a  reader  we 
have  to  consider  not  only  the  artistic  value  of  the  author's  work, 
and  its  subject  matter,  but  also  the  needs  and  abilities  of  the 
reader.  Thus  it  happens  that  it  is  not  always  the  work  of  the 
greatest  genius  which  stands  highest  in  the  list.  Moreover, 
no  claim  is  made  that  the  ranking  is  perfect,  especially  on  the 
second  shelf.  The  table  is  an  example  of  the  application  of 
the  principles  set  forth  in  the  remarks  following  Table  V.,  to  the 


I 

TABLE    I.  — THE 

[See  explanation  on 


1. 

Religion  &  Morals. 


Bible  I 
Bunyan  2 
Taylor  3 
Kempis  4 
Spencer  5 
M.  Aurehus  6 
Plutarcli  7 
Seneca  £ 
Epictetus  9 
Brooks  10 
Drummoiid  10 


2. 

Poetry  &  the 
Drama. 


Shakspeare 
Homer  21 
Dante  22 
Goethe  23 
Milton  24 
^schylus  2 
Fragments 


Milton  1 1 
Keble  12 
Cicero  13 
Pascal  14 
Channing  15 
Aristotle  16 
St.  Augustine  17 
Butler  iS 
Spinoza  iq 


Lucretius  62 
Ovid  63 
Sophocles  'S4 
Euripides  65 
Aristophanes  66 
Pindar  67 
Hesiod  68 
Heine  69 
Schiller  70 
Corneille  71 
Racine  72 
Moli^re  73 
Musset  74 
Calderon  75 
Petrarch  76 
Ariosto  77 
Tasso  78 
Camoens  79 
Omar  80 
Firdusi  81 
Hafiz  81 
Saadi  81 
Arnold  82 
Pushkin  St 
Lermontoff  84 


Spenser  27 
Lowell  28 
Whittier  29 
Tennyson  30 
Burns  31 
.Scott  32 
Byron  33 
Shelley  34 
Keats  3^ 
Campbell  36 
Moore  37 
Thomson  38 
Macaulay  39 
Dryden  40 
Collins  41 
Ingelow  42 
Bryant  43 
Longfellow  44 
Herbert  45 
Goldsmith  46 
Coleridge  47 
Wordsworth  48 
Pope  49 
Southey  50 
Walton  51 
Browning  52 
Young  53 
Jonson  54 
Beaumont 
&  F.  5^ 
Marlowe  56 
Sheridan  57 
Carleton  58 
Vireil  60 
Horace  61 


3. 

Science. 


Physiology  and 

Hygiene  85 
"Our  Country"  86 
Federalist  88 
Bryce  89 
Montesquieu  90 
Bagehot  90 
Mill  91 
Bain  92 
Spencer  93 
Darwin  94 
Herschel  95 
Proctor  95 
Lyell  96 
Lubbock  96 
Dawson  96 
Wood  97 
Whewell  98 


4. 

Biography. 


De  Tocqueville 
Von  Hoist  100 
Smith  loi 
Malthus  102 
Carey  103 
Cairnes  104 
Freeman  105 
Jevons  106 
Mulford  107 
Hobbes  loS 
Machiavelli  109 
Max  Miilier  no 
Trench  iii 
Taylor  112 
White  113 
Cuvier  114 
Conk  115 
Tvndall  116 
Airy  117 
Faraday  118 
Helmholtz  119 
Huxley  120 
Gray  121 
Agassiz  122 
Silliman  123 


Plutarch  124 
Phillips  125 
Boswell  126 
Lockhart  127 
Marshall  128 
Franklin  128 
Nicoiay  &  H. 

129 
Grant  129 
Carlyle  130 
Renan  130 
Farrar  131 
Emerson  132 
100  Greatest 

Men  133 
Parton  134 
Hale  135 
Drake  136 
Fox  137 
Grimm  138 


History. 


Green   152 
Bancroft  153 
Guizot  154 
Buckle  154 
Parkman   155 
Freeman  155 
Fiske  155 
Fyffe  155 


99  G.  Smith  139 
Bourrienne  140 
Johnson  141 
Walton  142 
Stanley  143 
Irving  144 
Southey  145 
Stanhope  146 
Moore  147 
Jameson  148 
Baring-Gould 

149 
Field  150 
Hamilton  151 
Darwin  151 
Alcott  151 
Talleyrand  151 
Macaulay  isi 
Bashkirtseff  151 
Guerin  151 
Jefferson  151 
American 

Statesmen  151 
English  Men  of 

Letters  151 


Creasy  155  « 
Lecky  156 
Clarke  157 
Mofifat  158 
Draper  159 
Hallam  160 
May  i6r 
Hume  162 
Macaulay  163 
Froude  164 
Gibbon  165 
Grote  i66 
Palfrev  167 
Prescntt  168 
Motley  i6g 
Frothin'jham 

i<^q  a 
Wilkinson  170 
Niebuhr  171 
Menzel  172 
Milman  173 
Ranke  174 
Sismnndi  175 
Michelet  176 
Cnrlyle  177 
Thierry  178 
Tacitus  179 
Livv  180 
Sallust  181 
Herodotus  182 
Xenophon  1S3 
Thucvdides  184 
Josephus  185 
Mackenzie  185 
Rawhnaon  185 


6. 

Philosophy. 


Spencer  186 

Plato  187 

Berkeley  188 

Kant  189 

Locke  & 
Hobbes  190 

Comte  191 

Lewes 
or  Ueberweg 
or  Schwegler 
or  Schlegel 

on  the 
History  of 
Philosophy. 


Mill  192 
Mansei  193 
Biichner  194 
Edwards  195 
Bentham  196 
Maurice  197 
Hume  198 
Hamilton  199 
Aristotle  200 
Descartes  201 
Cousin  2CI 
Hegel  & 

Schelling  202 
Fichte  203 
Erasmus  204 
F'iske  205 
Hickok  206 
McCosh  207 
Spinoza  208 


Essays. 


Emerson  209 
Bacon  210 
Montaigne  2tr 
Ruskin  212 
Carlyle  212 
Addison  212 


Macaulay 

Leigh  Hunt 

Arnold 

Buckle 

Hume 

Froude 

Symonds 

Steele 

Browne 

Johnson 

De  Quincey 

Foster 

Hazlitt 

Lessing 

Sparks 

Disraeli 

Whipple 

Lamb 

Schiller 

Coleridge 


WORLD'S    BEST    BOOKS. 

he  preceding  page.] 


8. 

9. 

10. 

11. 

13. 

13. 

14. 

Fiction. 

Oratory. 

Wit  &  Humor. 

Fables  &  Fairy 
Tales. 

Travel. 

Guides. 

Miscellaneous. 

Scott  213 

Demosthenes 

Lowell  244 

Andersen  263 

Cook  274 

Foster  293 

Smiles' 

Eliot  214 

I'urke 

Holmes  245 

La  Fontaine  264 

Humboldt  275 

Pall  Mall  294 

Self- Help  3.0 

Dickens  215 

Fox 

Dickens  246 

.^sop  265 

Darwin  276 

Morley  295 

Irving's  Sketch 

Hawthorne  216 

Pitt 

Cervantes  247 

Grimm  266 

Welsh  296 

Book  31 1 

Goldsmith  217 

Webster 

Goethe  267 

Taine  297 

Bacon's  New 

Kulwer  218 

Clay 

Hawthorne  267 

Botta  298 

Atlantis  312 

MacDonald  219 

Phillips 

Allibone  299 

Bellamy  313 

'J  hackeray  220 

Lincoln 

Bartlett  300 

Arabian  Nights 

Kingsley  221 

Everett 

Ballou  301 

314 

Wallace  222 
Tourgee  223 

Bright 

Bryant  302 
Palgrave  302 

Munchausen  315 
Beowulf  316 

Sienkiewicz  229 

Hugo  224 

Austen  230 

Roget's 

Anglo-Saxon 

Dumas  224 

Bronte  230 

Thesaurus 

Chronicle  317 

Defoe  225 

Alcott  231 
Burnett  231 

• 

Dictionaries 

Froissart  318 

Hughes  225 

Encyclopsedias 

Nibelungenlied  319 

Stowe  226 

Cable  232 

Icelandic  Sagas 

Cooper  226 

Craddock  232 

320 

Curtis  227 

Whitney  233 
Jewett  233 
Fielding  234 

Elder  Edda  321 

Warner  227 

The  Cid  322 

Aldrich  228 

Morte  D'Arthur 

Hearn  228 
Ebers  229 

Le  Sage  234 

323 

Balzac  234 

Rousseau  235 

Sumner 

IngersoU  248 

Bulfinch  26S 

Marco  Polo  277 

Brook  303 

Sheking  324 

Sain  tine  235 

Henry 

Holley  249 

Saxe  269 

Kane  278 

Leypoldt  304 

Analects  of 

Coffin  236 

Otis 

Curtis  250 

Florian  270 

Livingstone  279 

Richardson  305 

Confucius  325 

Reade  236 

Jay  . 

Depew  251 

Kipling  270 

Stanley  280 

Harrison  306 

Mesnevi  326 

Warren  236 

Madison 

Twain  252 

Babrius  271 

Du  Chaillu  2S1 

Ruskin  307 

Buddhism  327 

Landor  237 

Jefferson 

Warner  253 

Hauff  272 

Niebuhr  282 

Bright  308 

Mahabharata  328 

iurgenieff  237 

Beecher 

Edwards  254 

Ovid  273 

Bruce  283 

Dunlop  309 

Ramayana  329 

Sue' 23  7 

Brooks 

Hale  255 

Curtin  273 

Heber  284 

Baldwin  309 

Vedas  330 

Manzoni  237 

Choate 

Nasby  256 

Fiske  273 

Lander  285 

Adams  309 

Koran  331 

L'ottin  238 

Garfield 

Ward  257 

Waterton  286 

Talmud  332 

Hesant  23S 

IngersoU 

Jerrold  258 

Rlungo  Park  287 

Hooker  333 

Stevenson  238 

Erskine 

Voltaire  259 

Ouseley  288 

Swedenborg  333 

^V'ard  239 

Sheridan 

Byron  259 

' 

Barth  289 

Newton  333 

Deland  239 

Gladstone 

Butler  260 

Boteler  290 

Kepler  333 

Sewell  239 

Cicero 

Swift  260 

Maundeville  291 

Copernicus  333 

liret  Harte  239 

Quintilian 

Rabelais  261 

Warburton  292 

Laplace  333 

'ireen  240 

Bossuet 

Sterne  261 

Mulock  240 

Saint 

Juvenal  262 

Disraeli  240 

Chrysostom 

Lucian  262 

1 

Howells  240 

Tolstoi  240 

■^and  241 

^lack  241 

^iackmore  241 

■ichreiner  241 

hemer  242 

Trollope  242 

A'inthrop  242 

■Richardson  243 

snioUett  243 

Boccaccio  243 

• 

20  NOTE   OF  EXPLANATION. 

case  of  the  general  reader.  For  every  one  above  or  below  the 
average  reader  the  lists  would  have  to  be  changed,  and  even 
the  average  list  has  no  quality  of  the  absolute.  It  is  but  a  sug- 
gestion, —  a  suggestion,  however,  in  which  we  have  a  good  deal 
of  confidence,  one  that  is  based  on  a  very  wide  induction, — 
and  we  have  no  hesitation  in  affirming  that  the  upper  shelf  rep- 
resents the  best  literature  the  world  affords. 

In  addition  to  Table  I.,  there  will  be  found  in  Tables  III.  and 
IV.,  and  in  the  remarks  upon  the  Guidance  of  Children  follow- 
ing Table  IV.,  a  number  of  pieces  of  literary  work  of  the  very 
highest  merit  and  value.  Some  of  the  most  important  are  Lowell's 
"Vision  of  Sir  Launfal,"  one  of  the  very  finest  American  poems; 
Browning's  "  Ivan  Ivanovitch  ;  "  Guyot's  "  Earth  and  Man  ;  " 
Mary  Treat's  "  Home  Book  of  Nature ;  "  Burroughs'  "  Pepacton," 
"Signs  and  Seasons,"  "Wake  Robin,"  etc. ;  Buckley's  "Fairy 
Land  of  Science,"  etc.;  Ragozin's  "  Chaldea;  "  P^enelon's  "  Lives 
of  the  Philosophers;"  Bolton's  "  Poor  Boys  who  became  Fa- 
mous ;  "  Rives'  "  Story  of  Arnon  ;  "  Drake's  "  Culprit  Fay ;  "  Dr. 
Brown's  "  Rab  and  his  Friends  ; "  Mary  Mapes  Dodge's  "  Hans 
Brinker  ;  "  Andrews'  "  Ten  Boys  on  the  Road  ;  "  Arnold's 
"Sweetness  and  Light;"  Higginson's  "Vacations  for  Saints;" 
and  General  Booth's  "  In  Darkest  England,  and  the  Way  Out," 
a  book  of  great  power,  which  sets  forth  the  most  practical  method 
yet  proposed  for  the  immediate  relief  of  society  from  the  burdens 
of  pauperism  and  vice. 


RELIGION  AND   MORALS.  21 


REMARKS    ON    TABLE    I. 

RELIGION   AND   MORALS. 

Religion  and  Morals,  though  not  identical,  are 
so  closely  related  that  they  are  grouped  together. 
The  books  in  Column  i  by  no  means  exhaust 
these  subjects,  for  they  run  like  threads  of  gold 
through  the  whole  warp  and  woof  of  poetry.  Phi- 
losophy, fiction,  and  fable,  biography,  history,  and 
essays,  oratory  and  humor,  seem  rather  satellites 
that  attend  upon  moral  feelings  than  independent 
orbs,  and  even  science  is  not  dumb  upon  these 
all-absorbing  topics.  If  we  are  to  be  as  broad- 
minded  in  our  religious  views  as  we  seek  to  be 
in  other  matters,  we  must  become  somewhat  ac- 
quainted with  the  worship  of  races  other  than  our 
own.  This  may  be  done  through  Homer,  Hesiod, 
Ovid,  Confucius,  Buddha,  the  Vedas,  Koran,  Tal- 
mud, Edda,  Sagas,  Beowulf,  Nibelungenlied,  Shah 
Nameh,  etc.  (which  are  all  in  some  sense  *'  Bibles," 
or  books  that  have  grown  out  of  the  hearts  of  the 
people),  and  through  general  works,  such  as  Clarke's 
"  Ten  Great  Religions." 

I.  Especially  Job,  and  Psalms  19,  103,  104,  107,  in  the 
Old  Testament ;  and  in  the  New  the  four  Gospels,  the  Acts, 
and  the  Epistles,     (m.  R.  D.  C.  G.) 


22  REMARKS  ON  TABLE   I. 

2.  Next  to  the  Bible,  probably  no  book  is  so  much  read 
by  the  English  peoples  as  Banyan's  "  Pilgrim's  Progress,"  a 
simple,  vivid,  helpful  story  of  Christian  life  and  its  obstacles. 
No  writer  has  so  well  portrayed  the  central  truths  of  Christi- 
anity as  this  great,  untrained,  imaginative  genius,  pouring  his 
life  upon  the  deathless  pages  of  his  poetic  allegory  during 
the  twelve  long  years  in  the  latter  part  of  the  17th  century, 
when  he  was  imprisoned,  under  the  Restoration,  merely 
because  of  his  religious  principles,     (e.  R.  D.) 

3.  Taylor's  *' Holy  Living  and  Dying  "  is  a  wise,  frank 
talk  about  the  care  of  our  time,  purity  of  intention,  practice 
of  the  presence  of  God,  temperance,  justice,  modesty,  humil- 
ity, envy,  contentedness,  etc.  Some  portions  of  the  first 
hundred  and  fifty  pages  are  of  the  utmost  practical  value. 
Even  Ruskin  admits  that  Taylor  and  Bunyan  are  rightly 
placed  among  the  world's  best.  (Eng.,  17th  cent.  —  m. 
R.  D.) 

4.  "  Imitation  of  Christ  "  is  a  sister  book  to  the  last,  writ- 
ten in  the  15th  century  by  Thomas  a  Kempis,  a  German 
monk,  of  pure  and  beautiful  life  and  thought.  It  is  a  world- 
famous  book,  having  been  translated  into  every  civilized 
language,  and  having  passed  through  more  than  five  hundred 
editions  in  the  present  century,      (m.  R  D.) 

5.  Spencer's  "  Data  of  Ethics  "  is  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant books  in  literature,  having  to  the  science  of  ethics  much 
the  same  relation  as  Newton's  *'  Principia"  to  astronomy,  or 
Darwin's  "Origin  of  Species''  to  biology.  Note  especially 
the  parts  concerning  altruistic  selfishness,  the  morality  of 
health,  and  the  development  of  moral  feeling  in  general 
(Eng.,  TQth  cent.  —  d.  R.  D.  G.)  Spencer's  "First  Princi- 
ples "  is  also  necessary  to  an  understanding  of  the  scientific 
religious  thinking  of  the  day.     In  connection  with  Spencer's 


RELIGION   AND    MORALS.  23 

works,  "The  Idea  of  God"  and  the  "Destiny  of  Man,"  by 
Fiske,  may  be  read  with  profit.  The  author  of  these  books 
is  in  large  part  a  follower  and  expounder  of  Spencer. 

6.  The  "  Meditations  "  of  M.  Aurelius  is  a  book  that  is 
full  of  deep,  pure  beauty  and  philosophy ;  one  of  the 
sweetest  influences  that  can  be  brought  into  the  life,  and 
one  of  Canon  Farrar's  twelve  favorites  out  of  all  literature. 
(Rome,  2d  cent.  —  m.  R.  D.) 

.  7.  Plutarch's  "  Morals  "  supplied  much  of  the  cream  used 
by  Taylor  in  the  churning  that  produced  the  "  Holy  Living 
and  Dying."  Emerson  says  that  we  owe  more  to  Plutarch 
than  to  all  the  other  ancients.  Many  great  authors  have 
been  indebted  to  him,  —  Rabelais,  Montaigne,  Montesquieu, 
Voltaire,  Rousseau,  Shakspeare,  Bacon,  and  Dry  den,  among 
the  number.  Plutarch's  "  Morals  "  is  a  treasure-house  of 
wisdom  and  beauty.  There  is  a  very  fine  edition  with  an 
introduction  by  Emerson.     (Rome,  ist  cent.  —  m.  R.  D.) 

8.  Seneca's  "  Morals  "  is  a  fit  companion  of  the  preceding 
six  books,  full  of  deep  thought  upon  topics  of  every-day  im- 
port, set  out  in  clear  and  forceful  language.  The  Camelot 
Library  contains  a  very  good  selection  from  his  ethical  trea- 
tises and  his  delightful  letters,  which  are  really  moral  essays. 
(Rome,  I  St  cent.  —  m.  R.  D.) 

9  Epictetus  was  another  grand  moralist,  the  teacher  of 
Marcus  Aurelius.  Next  to  Bunyan  and  Kempis,  the  books 
of  these  great  stoics,  filled  as  they  are  with  the  serenity  of 
minds  that  had  made  themselves  independent  of  circum- 
stance and  passion,  have  the  greatest  popularity  accorded 
to  any  ethical  works.  Epictetus  was  a  Roman  slave  in  the 
ist  century  a.  d.      (m.  R.  D.) 

10.  The  little  book  on  "  Tolerance  "  by  Phillips  Brooks 
ought  to  be  read  by  every  one.     See  Table  III.  side  No.  23. 


24  REMARKS    ON   TABLE   I. 

The  sermons  of  Dr.  Brooks  and  of  Robertson  are  among 
the  most  helpful  and  inspiring  reading  we  know.  Drum- 
mond's  "  Natural  Law  in  the  Spiritual  World  "  is  a  book  of 
ingenious  and  often  poetic  analogies  between  the  physical 
and  spiritual  worlds.  If  read  as  poetry,  no  fault  can  be  found 
with  it ;  but  the  reader  must  be  careful  to  test  thoroughly 
the  laws  laid  down,  and  make  sure  that  there  is  some  weight- 
ier proof  than  mere  analogy,  before  hanging  important  con- 
clusions on  the  statements  of  this  author.  A  later  book  by 
Drummond  entitled  "  The  Greatest  Thing  in  the  World  "  is 
also  worthy  of  attention.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

11.  "  Areopagitica."  A  noble  plea  for  liberty  of  speech 
and  press.     (Eng.,  early  17th  cent.) 

12.  Keble's  beautiful  "  Christian  Year." 

13.  Cicero's  ''  Offices  "  is  a  very  valuable  ethical  work. 
It  directs  a  young  Roman  how  he  may  attain  distinction  and 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens.  Its  under- 
lying principles  are  of  eternal  value,  and  its  arrangement  is 
admirable.'  Dr.  Peabody's  translation  is  the  best.  (Rome, 
I  St  cent.  B.  c.) 

14.  "  Pens^es."  Pascal's  "  Thoughts  "  are  known  the  world 
over  for  their  depth  and  beauty.      (France,  17th  cent.) 

15.  "The  Perfect  Life"  and  other  works.  (U.  S.,  19th 
cent.) 

16.  Ethics.     (Greece,  4th  cent.  B.C.) 

17.  "Confessions"  and  "The  City  of  God."  (Rome, 
4th  cent.) 

18.  Analogy  of  Religion.     (Eng.,  1 8th  cent.) 

19.  Ethics  and  theologico-political  speculation.  (Dutch, 
1 7th  cent.) 


POETRY  AND   THE   DRAMA.  25 

POETRY    AND    THE    DRAMA. 

The  faculty  which  most  widely  distinguishes  man 
from  his  possible  relatives,  the  lower  animals,  and  the 
varying  power  of  which  most  clearly  marks  the  place 
of  each  individual  in  the  scale  of  superiority,  is  imagi- 
nation. It  lies  at  the  bottom  of  intellect  and  char- 
acter. Memory,  reason,  and  discovery  are  built  upon 
it;  and  sympathy,  the  mother  of  kindness,  tenderness, 
and  love,  is  itself  the  child  of  the  imagination.  Poetry 
is  the  married  harmony  of  imagination  and  beauty. 
The  poet  is  the  man  of  fancy  and  the  man  of  music. 
This  is  why  in  all  ages  mankind  instinctively  feel  that 
poetry  is  supreme.  Of  all  kinds  of  literature,  it  is  the 
most  stimulating,  broadening,  beautifying,  *and  should 
have  a  large  place  in  every  life.  Buy  the  best  poets, 
read  them  carefully,  mark  the  finest  passages,  and 
recur  to  them  many,  many  times.  A  poem  is  like  a 
violin :  it  must  be  kept  and  played  upon  a  long  time 
before  it  yields  to  us  its  sweetest  music. 

The  drama,  or  representation  of  human  thought 
and  life,  has  come  into  being,  among  very  many  peo- 
ples, as  a  natural  outgrowth  of  the  faculty  of  mimicry 
in  human  nature.  Among  the  South  Sea  Islanders 
there  is  a  rude  drama,  and  in  China  such  representa- 
tions have  existed  from  remote  ages.  Greece  first 
brought  the  art  to  high  perfection ;  and  her  greatest 
tragic  artists,  ^schylus,  Sophocles,  and  Euripides,  of 
the  fifth  century  B.  c,  are  still  the  highest  names  in 


26  REMARKS    ON   TABLE   I. 

tragedy.     The  Greek  drama  with  ^schylus  was  only 
a  dialogue.     Sophocles  introduced  a  third  actor.      It 
would  be  a  dull  play  to  us  that  should  fill  the  evening 
with   three   players.     In    another    thing    the    Grecian 
play  was  widely  different  from  ours.     The  aim  of  an- 
cient playwrights  was  to  bring  to  view  some  thought 
in  giant  form  and  with  tremendous  emphasis.     The 
whole  drama  was  built  around,  moulded,  and  adapted 
to  one  great  idea.     The  aim  of  English  writers  is  to 
give  an  interesting  glimpse  of  actual  life  in  all  its  mul- 
tiplicity of  interwoven  thought  and  passion,  and  let  it 
speak  its  lessons,  as  the  great  schoolmistress,  Nature, 
eives  us  hers.     The  French  and  Italian  drama  follow 
that  of  Greece,  but  Spain  and  England  follow  Nature. 
Mystery  and  miracle  plays  were  introduced  about 
1 100  A.  D.,  by  Hilarius,  and  were  intended  to  enforce 
religious    truths.     God,    Adam,    the    Angels,    Satan, 
Eve,  Noah,  etc.,  were  the  characters.     In  the  begin- 
ning  of   the    15th    century,   morality  plays   became 
popular.     They    personified     faith,     hope,    sadness, 
magnificence,  conceit,  etc.,  though  there  might  seem 
little  need  of  invention  to  personify  the  latter.    About 
the  time  of  Henry  VIII.,  masques  were    introduced 
from  Italy.     In  them  the  performers  wore  extravagant 
costumes  and  covered  the  face,  and  lords  and  ladies 
played  the  parts.     It  was  at  such  a  frolic  that  King 
Henry  met  Anne   Boleyn.     The  first  English  comedy 
was  written  in  1540,  by  Udall ;    and  the  first  tragedy 
in    1 561,   by   Sackville    and    Norton.     It  was    called 
*'  Ferrex  and  Porrex."     From  this  time  the  English 


POETRY  AND   THE   DRAMA.  2/ 

drama  rapidly  rose  to  its  summit  in  Shakspeare's 
richest  years  at  the  close  of  the  same  century.  At 
first  the  theatre  was  in  the  inn-yard,  — just  a  plat- 
form, with  no  scenery  but  what  the  imagination  of 
the  drinking,  swearing,  jeering  crowd  of  common  folk 
standing  in  the  rain  or  sunlight  round  the  rough- 
made  stage  could  paint. 

On  the  stage  sat  a  few  gentlefolk  able  to  pay  a 
shilling  for  the  privilege.  They  smoked,  played 
cards,  insulted  the  pit,  "who  gave  it  to  them  back, 
and  threw  apples  at  them  into  the  bargain."  Such 
were  the  beginnings  of  what  in  Shakspeare's  hands 
became  the  greatest  drama  that  the  world  has  ever 
seen. 

The  manner  of  reading  all  good  poetry  should 
be:    R.  D.  C.  G. 

If  the  reader  wishes  to  study  poetry  critically,  he 
will  find  abundant  materials  in  Lanier's  **  Science  of 
English  Verse"  and  Dowden's  *'  Mind  and  Art  of  Shak- 
speare  "  (books  that  once  read  by  a  lover  of  poetry 
will  ever  after  be  cherished  as  among  the  choicest  of 
his  possessions);  Lowell's  *' Fable  for  Critics,"  "My 
Study  Windows,"  and  "  Among  my  Books  ;  "  Arnold's 
"  Essays  ;  "  Hazlitt's  "  English  Poets ;  "  "  English  Men 
of  Letters ;  "  Poe's  "  Essay  on  the  Composition  of  the 
Raven  ;  "  Taine's  "  English  Literature  ;  "  Swinburne's 
"  Essays  and  Studies ;  "  Stedman's  "  Victorian  Poets ; " 
Shairp's  "Studies  in  Poetry ;"  Warton's  "History 
of  English  Poetry ;  "  Ward's  "  History  of  English 
Dramatic  Literature  ;  "  and  Schlegel's  "  Dramatic 
Literature." 


28  REMARKS    ON   TABLE  I. 

20.  Shakspeare  is  the  summit  of  the  world's  literature. 
In  a  higher  degree  than  any  other  man  who  has  lived  on 
this  planet,  he  possessed  that  vivid,  accurate,  exhaustive 
imagination  which  creates  a  second  universe  in  the  poet's 
brain.  Between  our  thought  of  a  man  and  the  man  himself, 
or  a  complete  representation  of  him  with  all  his  thoughts, 
feelings,  motives,  and  possibilities,  there  is  a  vast  gulf. 
If  we  had  a  perfect  knowledge  of  him,  we  could  tell  what 
he  would  think  and  do.  To  this  ultimate  knowledge  Shak- 
speare more  nearly  approached  than  any  other  mortal.  He 
so  well  understood  the  machinery  of  human  nature,  that  he 
could  create  men  and  women  beyond  our  power  to  detect 
an  error  in  his  work.  This  grasp  of  the  most  difficult  sub- 
ject of  thought,  and  the  oceanic,  myriad-minded  greatness  of 
his  plays  prove  him  intellectually  the  greatest  of  the  human 
race.  It  is  simple  nonsense  to  suppose  that  Bacon  wrote 
the  dramas  that  bear  the  name  of  Shakspeare.  They  were 
published  during  Shakspeare's  life  under  his  name ;  and 
Greene,  Jonson,  Milton,  and  other  contemporaries  speak 
with  unmistakable  clearness  of  the  great  master.  Donnelly's 
Cryptogram  is  a  palpable  sham  ;  and  to  the  argument  that 
an  uneducated  man  like  Shakspeare  could  not  have  written 
such  grand  poetry,  while  Bacon,  as  we  know,  did  have  a 
splendid  ability,  it  is  a  sufficient  answer  to  remark  that  Shak- 
speare's sonnets,  the  authorship  of  which  is  not  and  cannot 
be  questioned,  show  far  higher  poetical  powers  than  anything 
that  can  be  found  in  Bacon's  acknowledged  works.  Richard 
Grant  White's  edition  is  the  best ;  and  certainly  every  one 
should  have  the  very  best  of  Shakspeare,  if  no  other  book  is 
ever  bought.     (i6th  cent.)     See  Table  III.  No.  i. 

With    Shakspeare    may  be  used   Dowden's  "Shakspeare 
Primer,"  and  "The  Mind  and  Art  of  Shakspeare,"  Abbott's 


POETRY  AND   THE   DRAMA.  29 

"  Shakspearian  Grammar,"  Lanier's  "  Science  of  English 
Verse,"  Hazlitt's  "  Characters  of  Shakspeare's  Plays "  and 
'*  Age  of  Elizabeth,"  Lamb's  ^'  Tales  from  Shakspeare," 
Ward's  "  English  Dramatic  Literature,  and  History  of  the 
Drama,"  Lewes'  "Actors  and  the  Art  of  Acting,"  Hutton's 
"  Plays  and  Players,"  Leigh  Hunt's  "  Imagination  and  Fan- 
cy," and  Whipple's  "Literature  of  the" Age  of  Elizabeth." 

21.  Homer  is  the  world's  greatest  epic  poet.  He  is  the 
brother  of  Shakspeare,  full  of  sublimity  and  pathos,  tender- 
ness, simplicity,  and  inexhaustible  vigor.  Pope's  translation 
is  still  the  best  on  the  whole,  but  should  be  read  with  Derby's 
Iliad  and  Worsley's  Odyssey.  In  some  parts  these  are  fuller 
of  power  and  beauty ;  in  others,  Pope  is  far  better.  Flax- 
man's  designs  are  a  great  help  in  enjoying  Homer,  as 
are  also  tlie  writings  of  Gladstone,  Arnold,  and  Symonds. 
(Greece,  about  1000  b.  c.)     See  Table  III.  No.  2. 

22.  Ruskin  thinks  Dante  is  the  first  figure  of  history,  the 
only  man  in  whom  the  moral,  intellectual,  and  imaginative 
faculties  met  in  great  power  and  in  perfect  balance.  (Italy, 
14th  cent.)  Follow  the  advice  given  in  Table  III.  No.  5, 
and,  if  possible,  read  Longfellow's  translation.  See  note  24, 
p.  30. 

Among  writings  that  will  be  found  useful  in  connection 
with  Dante,  are  Rossetti's  "  Shadow  of  Dante,"  Lowell's 
Essay  in  "Among  my  Books,"  Symonds'  "Introduction  to 
the  Study  of  Dante,"  Farrar's  "  Lecture  on  Dante,"  Mrs. 
Ward's  '*  Life  of  Dante,"  Botta's  "  Dante  as  a  Philosopher," 
and  Carlyle's  "  Heroes  and  Hero  Worship." 

23.  Goethe  is  unquestionably  the  greatest  German,  and 
one  of  the  first  six  names  in  literature.  His  "  Faust "  is  a 
history  of  the  soul.  Read  Bayard  Taylor's  translation,  and 
the  explanation  of  the  drama's  meaning  given  in  Taylor's 


30  REMARKS   ON   TABLE   I. 

"  Studies  in  German  Literature."  "  Faust  "  was  the  work  of 
half  a  century,  and  completed  in  1818,  when  Goethe  was  past 
eighty. 

As  a  preparation  for  Goethe  it  is  interesting  to  study  the 
story  of  Faust  in  Butterworth's  *'  Zigzag  Journeys,"  and 
read  Marlowe's  "  Drama  of  Faustus."  The  novel  "Wilhelm 
Meister  "  has  been  splendidly  translated  by  Carlyle,  and  is 
full  of  the  richest  poetic  thought,  crammed  with  wisdom, 
and  pervaded  by  a  delicious  sweetness  forever  provoking  the 
mind  to  fresh  activity.  As  a  work  of  genius,  it  is  preferred 
by  some  critics  even  to  Hamlet.     See  Table  III.  No.  15. 

24.  Milton  stands  in  his  age  like  an  oak  among  hazel- 
bushes.  The  nobility  of  his  character,  the  subHmity  of  his 
thought,  and  the  classic  beauty  of  his  style  give  him,  in  spite 
of  some  coldness  and  some  lack  of  naturalness  in  his  concep- 
tion of  the  characters  of  Adam  and  Eve,  the  second  place 
in  English  literature.  His  "  Lycidas  "  is  a  beautiful  elegy. 
His  "  Comus  "  is  the  best  masque  in  English,  and  certainly  a 
charming  picture  of  chastity  and  its  triumph  over  temptation. 
It  should  be  read  along  with  Spenser's  "  Britomart."  His 
"  L'  Allegro  "  and  "  II  Penseroso,"  on  mirth  and  melancholy, 
are  among  the  best  lyrics  of  the  world.  His  "  Paradise 
Lost "  is  the  greatest  epic  in  English,  and  the  greatest  that 
any  literature  has  had  since  Dante's  "  Divine  Comedy." 
The  two  books  should  be  read  together.  Milton  shows  us 
Satan  in  all  the  pride  and  pomp  and  power  this  world  oft 
throws  around  his  cloven  Majesty.  Dante  tears  away  the 
wrappings,  and  we  see  the  horrid  heart  and  actual  loath- 
someness of  sin.    (Eng.,  17th  cent.)    See  Table  III.  No.  2. 

The  writings  of  Stopford  Brooke,  Macaulay,  Dr.  Johnson, 
De  Quincey,  and  Pattison  about  Milton  may  be  profitably 
referred  to. 


POETRY   AND   THE   DRAMA.  3  I 

25.  /Eschylus  was  the  greatest  of  the  noble  triumvirate  of 
Greek  tragedy  writers.  SubHmity  reached  in  his  soul  the 
greatest  purity  and  power  that  it  has  yet  attained  on  earth. 
One  can  no  more  afford  to  tread  in  life's  low  levels  all  his 
days  and  never  climb  above  the  clouds  to  thought's  clear- 
ethered  heights  with  ^schylus,  than  to  dwell  at  the  foot  of 
a  cliff  in  New  Mexico  and  never  climb  to  see  the  Rockies 
in  the  blue  and  misty  distance,  with  their  snowy  summits 
shining  in  the  sun.  Read,  at  any  rate,  his  "  Prometheus 
Bound "  and  his  "  Agamemnon."  (5th  cent.  b.  c,  the 
Golden  Age  of  Grecian  literature.)     See  Table  III.  No.  4. 

The  student  of  yEschylus  will  find  much  of  value  to  him 
in  Mahaffy's  " Greek  Literature,"  "Old  Greek  Life,"  and 
"  Social  Life  in  Greece  ;  "  Schlegel's  "  Dramatic  Literature  ;  " 
Donaldson's  "  Theatre  of  the  Greeks,"  and  Froude's  *'  Sea 
Studies."  Following  the  "  Prometheus  "  of  ^schylus,  it  is  a 
good  plan  to  read  the  works  of  Goethe,  Shelley,  Lowell,  and 
Longfellow  on  the  same  topic.  We  thus  bring  close  the 
ideas  and  fancies  of  five  great  minds  in  respect  to  the  myth 
of  Prometheus. 

26.  Many  a  selection  in  Table  IIL  is  of  very  high  merit, 
and  belongs  on  the  world's  first  shelf,  although  the  poetic 
works  of  the  author  as  a  whole  cannot  be  allowed  such 
honor.  In  the  section  preceding  Table  V.  also  will  be 
found  a  number  of  short  writings  of  the  very  highest  merit. 
See  explanatory  note  to  Table  I. 

27.  Edmund  Spenser  is  the  third  name  in  English  litera- 
ture. No  modern  poet  is  more  Hke  Homer.  He  is  sim- 
ple, clear,  and  natural,  redundant  and  ingenuous.  He  is  a 
Platonic  dreamer,  and  worships  beauty,  a  love  sublime  and 
chaste  ;  for  all  the  beauty  that  the  eye  can  see  is  only,  in  his 
view,  an  incomplete  expression   of  celestial  beauty  in  the 


32  REMARKS    ON  TABLE   I. 

soul  of  man  and  Nature,  the  light  within  gleaming  and 
sparkling  through  the  loose  woven  texture  of  this  garment  of 
God  called  Nature,  or  pouring  at  every  pore  a  flood  of  soft, 
translucent  loveliness,  as  the  radiance  of  a  calcium  flame 
flows  through  a  porcelain  globe.  Spenser  was  Milton's 
model.  The  "  Faerie  Queen,"  the  "  Shepherd's  Calendar," 
and  the  ''  Wedding  Hymn  "  should  be  carefully  read  ;  and  if 
the  former  is  studied  sufficiently  to  arrive  at  the  underlying 
spiritual  meaning,  it  will  ever  after  be  one  of  the  most 
precious  of  books.  (Eng.,  i6th  cent.)  See  Table  HI.  No.  6. 
See  also  Lowell's  "Among  my  Books,"  Craik's  "Spenser 
and  his  Poetry,"  and  Taine's  *'  English  Literature." 

28.  Lowell  is  one  of  the  foremost  humorists  of  all  time. 
No  one,  except  Shakspeare,  has  ever  combined  so  much 
mastery  of  the  weapons  of  wit  with  so  much  poetic  power, 
bonhomie,  and  common-sense.  Every  American  should 
read  his  poems  carefully,  and  digest  the  best.  (Amer.,  19th 
cent.)     See  Table  HI.  Nos.  12  and  24. 

29.  Whittier  is  America's  greatest  lyric  poet.  Read  w4iat 
Lowell  says  of  him  in  the  "  Fable  for  Critics,"  and  get  ac- 
quainted with  his  poetry  of  Nature  and  quiet  country  life, 
as  pure  as  the  snow  and  as  sweet  as  the  clover.  (Amer., 
19th  cent.)     See  Table  HI.  No.  11. 

30.  Tennyson  is  the  first  poet  of  our  age  ;  and  though  he 
cannot  rank  with  the  great  names  on  the  upper  shelf,  yet  his 
tenderness,  and  noble  purity,  and  the  almost  absolutely  perfect 
music  of  much  of  his  poetry  commands  our  love  and  ad- 
miration. Read  his  "  In  Memoriam,"  "  Princess,"  "  Idylls  of 
the  King,"  etc.     (Eng.,  19th  cent.)    See  Table  HI.  No.  11. 

31.  Burns  is  like  a  whiff  of  the  pure  sea  air.  He  is  a 
sprig  of  arbutus  under  the  snow ;  full  of  tenderness  and  gen- 
uine gayety,  always  in  love,  and  singing  forever  in  tun^  to 


POETRY  AND  THE  DRAMA.  33 

the  throbs  of  his  heart.  Read  "The  Jolly  Beggars,"  ''The 
Twa  Dogs,"  and  see  Table  III.  No.  ii.     (Scot.,  iSth  cent.) 

32.  Probably  nothing  is  so  likely  to  awaken  a  love  for 
poetry  as  the  reading  of  Scott.  (Scot.,  19th  cent.)  See 
Table  III.  No.  7. 

^^.  Byron  is  the  greatest  English  poet  since  Milton,  and 
except  Goethe  the  greatest  poet  of  his  age  in  the  world. 
His  music,  his  wonderful  control  of  language,  his  impassioned 
strength  passing  from  vehemence  to  pathos,  his  fine  sense 
of  the  beautiful,  and  his  combination  of  passion  with  beauty 
would  place  him  high  on  the  first  shelf  of  the  world's  litera- 
ture if  it  were  not  for  his  moral  aberration.  Read  his  "  Childe 
Harold."      (Eng.,  1788-1824.)     See  Table  HI.  No.  13. 

34.  Shelley  is  indistinct,  abstract,  impracticable,  but  full  of 
love  for  all  that  is  noble,  of  magnificent  poetic  power  and 
marvellous  music.  Read  "  Prometheus  Unbound,"  and  see 
Table  III.  No.  13.     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

35.  Keats  is  the  poetic  brother  of  Shelley.  He  is  deserv- 
ing of  the  title  "  marvellous  boy  "  in  a  far  higher  degree  than 
Chatterton.  If  the  lives  of  Shakspeare,  Milton,  and  Words- 
worth had  ended  at  twenty-five,  as  did  the  life  of  Keats,  they 
would  have  left  no  poetry  comparable  with  that  of  this  im- 
passioned dreamer.  Like  Shakspeare,  he  had  no  fortune  or 
opportunity  of  high  education.  Read  *'  Hyperion,"  "  Lamia," 
"  Eve  of  Saint  Agnes,"  "  Endymion,"  and  see  Table  HI. 
No.  13.     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

36.  Campbell  clothed  in  romantic  sweetness  and  delicate 
diction,  the  fancies  of  the  fairy  land  of  youthful  dreams,  and 
poured  forth  with  a  master  voice  the  pride  and  grandeur  of 
patriotic  song.  Read  his  "  Pleasures  of  Hope,"  "  Gertrude 
of  Wyoming,"  and  see  Table  HI.  No.  12.  (Eng.,  19th 
cent?) 


34  REMARKS    ON   TABLE   I. 

37.  Moore  is  a  singer  of  wonderful  melody  and  elegance 
and  of  inexhaustible  imagery.  Read  his  "  Irish  Melodies." 
(Eng.,  19th  cent.)     See  Table  TIL  No.  11. 

;^8.  Thomson  is  one  of  the  most  intense  lovers  of  Nature, 
and  sees  with  a  clear  eye  the  correspondences  between  the 
inner  and  outer  worlds  upon  which  poetry  is  built.  Read 
his  "  Seasons  "  and  "  The  Castle  of  Indolence."  (Eng.,. 
1 8th  cent.) 

39.  Read  Macaulay's  "  Lays  of  xA^ncient  Rome."  "  Hora- 
tius  "  cannot  fail  to  make  the  reader  pulse  with  all  the  hero- 
ism and  patriotism  that  is  in  his  heart,  and  "  Virginia  "  will 
fill  each  heart  with  mutiny  and  every  eye  with  tears.  (Eng., 
19th  cent.)     See  Table  III.  No.  12. 

40.  Dryden's  song  is  not  so  smooth  as  Pope's,  but  doubly 
strong.  His  .translation  of  Virgil  has  more  fire  than  the 
original,  though  less  elegance.  He  was  the  literary  king  of 
his  time,  but  knew  better  /i07u  to  say  things  than  w/iat  to 
say.     (Eng.,  17th  cent.)  •  See  Table  III.  No.  14. 

41.  Collins  was  a  poet  of  fine  genius.  Beauty,  simplicity, 
and  sweet  harmony  combine  in  his  works,  but  he  wrote  very 
little.  Read  his  odes,  "To  Pity,"  "To  Evening,"  "To 
Mercy,"  "To  Simplicity."  See  Table  III.  No.  14.  (Eng., 
1 8th  cent.) 

42.  Jean  Ingelow's  poems  deserve  at  least  tasting,  which 
will  scarcely  fail  to  lead  to  assimilation.  (Eng.,  1862.)  See 
Table  HI.  No.  14. 

43.  Bryant's  "Thanatopsis,"  written  at  eighteen,  gave  prom- 
ise of  high  poetic  power ;  but  in  the  life  of  a  journaHst  the 
current  of  energy  was  drawn  away  from  poetry,  and  America 
lost  the  full  fruitage  of  her  best  poetic  tree.  He  is  serene 
and  lofty  in  thought,  and  strong  in  his  descriptive  power  and 
the  noble  simplicity  of  his  language.  (Amer.,  19th  cent.) 
See  Table  III.  No.   13. 


POETRY   AND    THE    DRAMA.  35 

44.  Longfellow's  poetry  is  earnest  and  full  of  melody  but 
as  a  ivhole  lacks  passion  and  imagery.  Relatively  to  a  world 
standard  he  is  not  a  great  poet  and  has  written  little  worthy 
of  universal  reading,  but  as  bone  of  our  bone  he  has  a  claim 
on  us  as  Americans  for  sufficient  attention  at  least  to  inves- 
tigate for  ourselves  his  merits.  (Amer.,  19th  cent.)  See 
Table  III.  No.  10. 

45-    Lowell  says  that  George   Herbert  is  as   -  holy  as  a 
flower  on  a  grave."    (Eng.,  1631.)    See  Table  III.  No.  13 

46.   Goldsmith's  -  Deserted  Village  "  and  "  Traveller  "  will 
live  as  long  as  the  language.     They  are  full  of  wisdom  and 
lovely  poetry.     His   dramas  abound  in  fun.     Read    -  The 
Good-Natured  Man  "  and  -  She  Stoops  to  Conquer."  (Fn- 
i8th  cent.)    See  Table  IV.  ""'' 

47-  Read  Coleridge's  "  Christabel/'  and  get  somebody  to 
explain  its  mysterious  beauty  to  you;  also  his  ''Remorse" 
I^Ode   to   the   Departing  Year,"    -Ancient    Mariner,"  and 
'^Kubla  Khan."     Tiie  latter  is  the  most  magnificent  creation 
of  his  time,  but  needs  a  good  deal  of  study  for  most  readers 
to  perceive  the  beautiful  underlying  thought,  as  is  the  case 
also   with  the    -Mariner."      Coleridge  is  difficult    readin- 
He  wrote  very  Httle  excellently,  but  that  little  should  be  bound 
in  gold,  and  read  till  the  inner  light  of  it  shines  into  the  soul 
of  the  reader.     The  terrible  opium  habit  ruined  him.     Read 
his  life  ;  it  is  a  thrilling  story.    (Eng.,  1 772-1 834.)    Table  III. 
No.   II. 

48.  Lowell  says,  in  his  "  Fable  for  Critics,"  that  he  is  always 
discovering  new  depths 

"in  Wordsworth,  undreamed  of  before,— 
That  divinely  inspired,  wise,  deep,  tender,  grand -bore." 


36  REMARKS    ON  TABLE   I. 

Nothing  could  sum  up  this  poet  better  than  that.  His 
intense  dehght  in  Nature  and  especially  in  mountain  scenery, 
and  his  pure,  serene,  earnest,  majestic  reflectiveness  are  his 
great  charms.  His  "  Excursion  "  is  one  of  the  great  works 
of  our  literature,  and  stands  in  the  front  rank  of  the  world's 
philosophical  poetry.  Its  thousand  lines  of  blank  verse  roll 
through  the  soul  like  the  stately  music  of  a  cathedral  organ. 
(Eng.,  19th  cent.)     See  Table  HI.  No.  13. 

49.  Pope  is  the  greatest  of  the  world's  machine  poets,  the 
noblest  of  the  great  army  who  place  a  higher  value  on  skilful 
execution  than  on  originality  and  beauty  of  conception.  The 
"  Rape  of  the  Lock  "  is  his  most  successful  effort,  and  is  the 
best  of  all  mock-heroic  poems,  "  The  sharpest  wit,  the  keen- 
est dissection  of  the  follies  of  fashionable  life,  the  finest  grace 
of  diction,  and  the  softest  flow  of  melody  adorn  a  tale  in 
which  we  learn  how  a  fine  gentleman  stole  a  lock  of  a  lady's 
hair."  Read  also  his  "  Essay  on  Man,"  and  glance  at  his 
"  Dunciad,"  a  satire  on  fellow-writers.  (Eng.,  1688-1744'.) 
See  Table  HI.  No.  13,  and  Table  IV. 

50.  Southey  had  great  ideas  of  what  poetry  should  be,  and 
strove  for  purity,  unity,  and  fine  imagery ;  but  there  was  no 
pathos  or  depth  of  emotion  in  him,  and  the  stream  of  his 
poetry  is  not  the  gush  of  the  river,  but  the  uninteresting 
flow  of  the  canal.  Byron  says,  "  God  help  thee,  Southey,  and 
thy  readers  too."  Glance  at  his  "  Thalaba  the  Destroyer  " 
and  "  Curse  of  Kehama."    (Eng.,  1 774-1843.) 

51.  Walton's  "  Compleat  Angler"  is  worthy  of  a  glance. 
(Eng.,  1653.) 

52.  Browning  is  very  obscure,  and  neither  on  authority  nor 
principle  a  first-rate  poet ;  but  he  is  a  strong  thinker,  and  dear 
to  those  who  have  taken  the  pains  to  dig  out  the  nuggets  of 
gold.     Canon  Farrar  puts  him  among  the  three  living  au- 


POETRY  AND  THE  DRAMA.  37 

thors  whose  works  he  would  be  most  anxious  to  save  from 
the  flames.  Mrs.  Browning  has  more  imagination  than  her 
husband,  and  is  perhaps  his  equal  in  other  respects.  (Eng., 
19th  cent.) 

53.  Read  Young's  "Night  Thoughts." 

54.  Jonson,  on  account  of  his  noble  aims,  comparative 
purity,  and  classic  style,  stands  next  to  Shakspeare  in  the 
history  of  English  drama.  Read  "  The  Alchemist,"  *'  Cati- 
line, "  "  The  Devil  as  an  Ass,"  "  Cynthia's  Revels,"  and  "  The 
Silent  Woman."  The  plot  of  the  latter  is  very  humorous. 
(Eng.,  1700.) 

55.  The  dramas  of  Beaumont  and  Fletcher  are  poetically 
the  best  in  the  language  except  those  of  Shakspeare.  Read 
"  Philaster,"  "  The  Fair  Maid  of  the  Inn,"  "  Thierry  and 
Theodoret,"  "  The  Maid's  Tragedy."     (Eng.,  1 7th  cent.) 

56.  Marlowe's  "  Mighty  Line  "  is  known  to  all  lovers  of 
poetry  who  have  made  a  wide  hunt.  His  energy  is  intense. 
Read  "  The  Tragical  History  of  Dr.  Faustus,"  based  on 
that  wonderfully  fascinating  story  of  the  doctor  who  offered 
his  soul  to  hell  in  exchange  for  a  short  term  of  power  and 
pleasure,  on  which  Goethe  expended  the  flower  of  his  genius, 
and  around  which  grew  hundreds  of  plays  all  over  Europe. 
(Eng.,  17th  cent.) 

57.  For  whimsical  and  ludicrous  situations  and  a  rapid 
fire  of  witticisms,  Sheridan's  plays  have  no  equals.  Read 
"The  School  for  Scandal"  and  "The  Rivals."  (Eng., 
1 8th  cent.) 

58.  Carleton's  poetry  is  not  of  a  lofty  order,  but  ex- 
ceedingly enjoyable.  Read  his  "Farm  Ballads."  (Amer., 
19th  cent.) 

60.  Virgil  is  the  greatest  name  in  Roman  literature.  His 
"  ^neid  "  is  the  national  poem  of  Rome.    His  poetry  is  of 


38  ^  REMARKS    ON  TABLE   I. 

great  purity  and  elegance,  and  for  variety,  harmony,  and 
power  second  in  epic  verse  only  to  his  great  model,  Homer. 
(Rome,  ist  cent.  b.  c.)  Read  Dryden's  translation  if  you 
cannot  read  the  original. 

6i.  The  Odes  of  Horace  combine  wit,  grace,  sense,  fire, 
and  affection  in  a  perfection  of  form  never  attained  by  any 
other  writer.  He  is  untranslatable ;  but  Martin's  version  and 
commentary  will  give  some  idea  of  this  most  mteresting  man, 
"the  most  modern  and  most  famihar  of  the  ancients." 
(Rome,   I  St  cent.  b.  c.) 

62.  Lucretius  is  a  philosophic  poet.  He  aimed  to  explain 
Nature  ;  and  his  poem  has  much  of  wisdom,  beauty,  sublimity, 
and  imagination  to  commend  it.  Virgil  imitated  whole  pas- 
sages from  Lucretius.     (Rome,  ist  cent.  b.  c.) 

63.  Ovid  is  gross  but  fertile,  and  his  "  Metamorphoses  " 
and  "  Epistles "  have  been  great  favorites.  (Rome,  ist 
cent.  B.  c.) 

64.  The"  Antigone  "  and  "  CEdipus  at  Colonus  "  of  Soph- 
ocles are  of  exquisite  tenderness  and  beauty.  In  pathos 
Shakspeare  only  is  his  equal.     (Greece,  5th  cent,  b  c  ) 

65.  Euripides  is  the  third  of  the  great  triumvirate  of  Greek 
dramatists.  His  works  were  very  much  admired  by  Milton 
and  Fox.  Read  his  "Alcestis,"  "Iphigenia,"  "Medea,"  and 
the  "  Bacchanals."     (Greece,  5th  cent.  b.  c  ) 

66.  Aristophanes  is  the  greatest  of  Greek  comedy  writers. 
His  plays  are  great  favorites  with  scholars,  as  a  rule.  Read 
the  "Clouds,"  "  Birds,"  "Knights,"  and  "Plutus."  (Greece, 
Sth  cent.  b.  c.) 

67.  Pindar's  triumphal  odes  stand  in  the  front  rank  of  the 
world's  lyric  poetry.     (Greece,  5  th  cent,  b.  c) 

68.  Hesiod's  "  Theogony  "  contains  the  religious  faith  of 
Greece.     He  lived  in  or  near  the  time  of  Homer. 


POETRY   AND   THE   DRAMA.  39 

69.  Heine  is  the  most  remarkable  German  poet  of  this 
century.  He  has  written  many  gems  of  rare  beauty,  and 
many  sketches  of  hfe  mimatched  for  racy  freshness  and 
graphic  power. 

70.  Schiller  is  the  second  name  in  German  literature  ;  in- 
deed, as  a  lover  of  men  and  as  a  poet  of  exquisite  fancy, 
he  far  excels  Goethe.  He  was  a  great  philosopher,  his- 
torian, and  critic.  Read  his  ''  Song  of  the  Bell,"  and  his 
drama  of  "  Wallenstein,"  translated  by  Coleridge.  (Ger- 
many,  1 8th  cent.) 

71.  72,  73.  Corneille,  Racine,  and  Moliere  are  the  great 
French  triumvirate  of  dramatists.  Their  object  is  to  produce 
one  massive  impression.  In  this  they  follow  the  classic 
writers.  A  French,  Greek,  or  Roman  drama  is  to  a  Shak- 
spearean  play  as  a  statue  to  a  picture,  as  an  idea  carved 
out  of  Nature  and  rendered  magnificently  impressive  by 
its  isolation  and  the  beauty  of  its  modelling,  to  Nature  itself. 
The  historical  and  ethical  value  of  the  French  plays  is  very 
great.  Corneille  is  one  of  the  grandest  of  modern  poets. 
Read  "The  Cid  "  (''As  beautiful  as  the  Cid  "  became  a 
proverb  in  France),  and  "  Horace  "  (which  is  even  more 
original  and  grand  than  "  The  Cid  "),  and  "  Cinna  "  (which 
Voltaire  thought  the  best  of  all).  Racine  excels  in  grace 
tenderness,  and  versatility.  Read  his  "  Phedre."  Moliere 
was  almost  as  profound  a  master  of  human  nature  on  its 
humorous  side  as  Shakspeare.  He  hates  folly,  meanness, 
and  falsehood ;  he  is  always  wise,  tender,  and  good.  Read 
"  Le  Misanthrope,"  or  "  The  Man-Hater,"  and  "  Tartuffe," 
or  "The  Impostor."     (17th  cent.) 

74.  Alfred  de  Musset  is  a  famous  French  poet  of  this  cen- 
tury, and  is  a  great  favorite  with  those  who  can  enjoy  charm- 
ing and  inspiring  thoughts  though  mixed  with  the  grotesque 
and  extravagant. 


40  REMARKS    ON   TABLE   I. 

75.  Calderon  de  la  Barca  is  one  of  the  greatest  dramatists 
of  the  world.  His  purity,  power,  and  passion,  his  magnifi- 
cent imagination  and  wonderful  fertility,  will  place  him  in 
company  with  Shakspeare  in  the  eternal  society  of  the  great. 
Read  Shelley's  fragments  from  Calderon,  and  Fitzgerald's 
translation,  especially  "  Zalamea  "  and  "  The  Wonder-Work- 
ing Magician,"  two  of  his  greatest  plays.     (Spain,  17th  cent.) 

76.  Petrarch's  lyrics  have  been  models  to  all  the  great 
poets  of  Southern  Europe.  The  subject  of  nearly  all  his 
poems  is  his  hopeless  affection  for  the  high-minded  and  beau- 
tiful Laura  de  Sade.  His  purity  is  above  reproach.  He  is 
pre-eminent  for  sweetness,  pathos,  elegance,  and  melody. 
(Italy,  14th  cent.) 

77.  Ariosto  is  Italy's  great  epic  poet.  Read  his  "  Orlando 
Furioso,"  a  hundred-fold  tale  of  knights  and  ladies,  giants 
and  magicians.     (Italy,  1474-1533). 

78.  Tasso  is  the  second  name  in  Italian  epic  poetry  ;  and 
by  some  he  is  placed  above  Ariosto  and  named  in  the  same 
breath  with  Homer  and  Virgil.  Read  his  "Jerusalem  De- 
livered," and  "  Aminta,"  and  glance  at  his  minor  poems 
composed  while  in  confinement.     (Italy,  i6th  cent.) 

79.  Camoens  is  the  glory  of  Portugal,  her  only  poet  whose 
fame  has  flown  far  beyond  her  narrow  borders.  Read  his 
grand  and  beautiful  poem,  the  "  Lusiad,"  a  national  epic 
grouping  together  all  the  great  and  interesting  events  in  the 
history  of  his  country.    (i6th  cent.) 

80.  Omar  Khayyam,  the  great  astronomer  poet  of  Persia, 
has  no  equal  in  the  world  in  the  concise  magnificence  with 
which  he  can  paint  a  grand  poetic  conception  in  a  single 
complete,  well-rounded,  melodious  stanza.  Read  Fitzgerald's 
translation.    (12th  cent.) 

81.  Firdusi,  the  author  of  the  "  Shah  Nameh,"  or  Poetic 


SCIENCE.  41 

History  of  the  great  deeds  of  the  sultans.  Hafiz,  the  poet 
of  love,  and  Saadi  are  odier  great  Persian  poets  deserving  at 
least  a  glance  of  investigation,      (i  ith-i4th  cents.) 

82.  Arnold's  "  Light  of  Asia"  claims  our  attention  for  the 
additions  it  can  make  to  our  breadth  of  thought,  giving  us 
as  it  does  briefly  and  beautifully  the  current  of  thinking  of 
a  great  people  very  unlike  ourselves.      (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

83.  Pushkin  is  called  the  Byron  of  Russia.  Russian 
songs  have  a  peculiar,  mournful  tenderness.  "  They  are  the 
sorrows  of  a  century  blended  in  one  everlasting  sigh." 
(19th  cent.) 

84.  Lermontoff  is  the  Russian  Schiller.     (19th  cent.) 

SCIENCE. 

The  most  important  sciences  for  the  ordinary  reader 
are  Physiology,  Hygiene,  Psychology,  Logic,  Politi- 
cal Economy,  Sociology  and  the  Science  of  Gov- 
ernment, Astronomy,  Geology,  and  Natural  History; 
but  an  elementary  knowledge  of  all  the  sciences  is 
very  desirable  on  account  of  the  breadth  of  mind  and 
grasp  of  method  which  result  therefrom.  The  Inter- 
national Scientific  Series  is  very  helpful  in  giving  the 
brief  comprehensive  treatment  of  such  subjects  that  is 
needed  for  those  who  are  not  specialists.  The  best 
books  in  this  department  are  continually  changing, 
because  science  is  growing  fast,  and  the  latest  books 
are  apt  to  be  fuller  and  better  than  the  old  ones. 
The  best  thing  that  can  be  done  by  one  who  wishes 
to  be  sure  of  obtaining  the  finest  works  upon  any 
given  subject  in  the  region  of  scientific  research,  is 


42  REMARKS    ON   TABLE   I. 

to  write  to  a  professor  who  teaches  that  subject  in 
some  good  university,  —  a  professor  who  has  not 
himself  written  a  book  on  the  subject,  —  and  get  his 
judgment  on  the  matter. 

85.  Physical  health  is  the  basis  of  all  life  and  activity,  and 
it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  secure  at  once  the  best 
knowledge  the  world  has  attained  in  relation  to  its  procure- 
ment and  preservation.  This  matter  has  far  too  little  atten- 
tion. If  a  man  is  going  to  bring  up  chickens,  he  will  study 
chicken  books  no  end  of  hours  to  see  just  what  will  make 
them  lay  and  make  them  fat  and  how  he  may  produce  the 
finest  stock ;  but  if  he  only  has  to  bring  up  a  few  children, 
he  will  give  no  lime  to  the  study  of  the  physical  condidons 
of  their  full  and  fine  development.  Some  few  people,  how- 
ever, have  a  strange  idea  that  a  child  is  nearly  as  valuable  as 
a  rooster.  There  is  no  book  as  yet  written  which  gives  in 
clear,  easily  understood  language  the  known  laws  of  diet, 
exercise,  care  of  the  teeth,  hair,  skin,  lungs,  etc.,  and  simple 
remedies.  Perhaps  Dalton's  "  Physiology,"  Flint's  "  Nervous 
System,"  Cutter's  "  Hygiene,"  Blaikie's  "  How  to  get  Strong," 
and  Duncan's  "  How  to  be  Plump,"  Beard's  *'  Eating  and 
Drinking,"  Bellows'  "  Philosophy  of  Eating,"'  Smith  on  Foods, 
Holbrook's  "  Eating  for  StrengUi,"  •'  Fruit  and  Bread,"  "  Hy- 
giene for  the  Brain,"  '*  How  to  Strengthen  the  Memory," 
and  Kay's  book  on  the  Memory,  Walter's  "  Nutritive  Cure," 
Clark's  "Sex  in  Education,"  Alice  Stockham's  "Tokology" 
or  "  Hygiene  for  Married  Women,"  and  Naphy's  "  Trans- 
mission of  Life  "  will  together  give  some  idea  of  this  all- 
valuable  subject,  though  none  of  these  books  except  the  first 
are  in  themselves,  apart  from  their  subject,  worthy  of  a  place 
on  the  first  shelf 


SCIENCE.  43 

S6.  Dr.  Strong's  little  book,  "  Our  Country,"  is  of  the  most 
intense  interest  to  every  American  who  loves  his  country  and 
wishes  its  welfare.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

S8.  The  "  Federalist  "  was  a  series  of  essays  by  Hamilton, 
Jay,  and  Madison,  in  favor  of  the  Federal  Constitution,  and 
is  the  best  and  deepest  book  on  the  science  of  government 
that  the  world  contains.     (Amer.,  1788.) 

89.  Bryce  on  the  American  Commonwealth  is  a  splendid 
book,  a  complete,  critical,  philosophic  work,  an  era- making 
book,  and  should  be  read  by  every  American  who  wishes  to 
know  how  our  institutions  appear  to  a  genial,  cultured, 
broad-minded  foreigner.  Mr.  Bryce  has  the  chair  of  Politi- 
cal Economy  in  Oxford,  and  is  a  member  of  Parliament.  His 
chief  criticism  of  our  great  republic  is  that  it  is  /lard  to  fix 
responsibility  for  lawlessness  under  our  institutions,  which  is 
always  an  encouragement  to  wrongdoers.  His  book  should 
be  read  with  De  Tocqueville.      (Eng.,  T9th  cent.) 

90.  Montesquieu's  "  Spirit  of  Laws "  is  a  profound 
analysis  of  law  in  relation  to  government,  customs,  cli- 
mate, religion,  and  commerce.  It  is  the  greatest  book  of 
the  1 8th  century.  Read  with  it  Bagehot's  ''Physics  and 
Politics." 

91.  Mill's  ''  Logic  "  and  "  Political  Economy"  are  simply 
necessities  to  any,  even  moderately,  thorough  preparation  for 
civilized  life  in  America.     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

92.  Read  Bain  on  the  "  Emotions  and  the  Will,"  "Mind 
and  Body,"  etc.     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

93.  Herbert  Spencer  is  the  foremost  name  in  the  philo- 
sophic literature  of  the  world.  He  is  the  Shakspeare  of 
science.  He  has  a  grander  grasp  of  knowledge,  and  more 
perfect  conscious  correspondence  with  the  external  universe, 
than  any  other  human  being  who  ever  looked  wonderingly 


44  REMARKS    ON   TABLE   I. 

out  into  the  starry  depths ;  and  his  few  errors  flow  from  an 
over-anxiety  to  exert  his  splendid  power  of  making  beau- 
tiful generalizations.  Read  his  "  First  Principles,"  "  Data 
of  Ethics,"  "  Education,"  and  "  Classification  of  the  Sci- 
ences," at  any  rate  ;  and  if  possible,  all  he  has  written. 
Plato  and  Spencer  are  brothers.  Plato  would  have  done 
what  Spencer  has,  had  he  lived  in  the   19th  century. 

94.  Darwin's  "  Origin  of  Species  "  stands  in  history  by 
the  side  of  Newton's  "  Principia."  The  thought  of  both 
has  to  a  great  extent  become  the  common  inheritance  of 
the  race ;  and  it  is  perhaps  sufficient  for  the  general  reader 
to  refer  to  a  good  account  of  the  book  and  its  arguments, 
such  as  may  be  found  in  the  "  Encyclopaedia  Britannica." 
(Eng.,   19th  cent.) 

95.  Read  Herschel  and  Proctor  in  Astronomy,  to 
broaden  and  deepen  the  mind  with  the  grand  and  beau- 
tiful conceptions  of  this  most  poetic  of  the  sciences.  Proc- 
tor's books  are  more  fascinating  than  any  fiction.  (Eng., 
19th  cent.) 

96.  For  a  knowledge  of  what  has  been  going  on  in  this 
dim  spot  beneath  the  sun,  in  the  ages  before  man  came 
upon  the  stage,  and  for  an  idea  about  what  kind  of  a  fellow 
man  was  when  he  first  set  up  housekeeping  here,  and  how 
long  ago  that  was,  read  Lyell's  "  Geology ; "  Lubbock's 
"  Prehistoric  Tunes,"  "  Origin  of  Civilization  and  Primitive 
Condition  of  Man,"  and  Lyell's  "  Antiquity  of  Man  "  (Eng., 
19th  cent.);  and  Dawson's  "Chain  of  Life."  (U.  S.,  19th 
cent.) 

97.  Read  Wood's  beautiful  and  interesting  books  on 
Natural  History ;  especially  his  "  Evidences  of  Mind  in 
An-imals,"  "  Out  of  Doors,"  "  Anecdotes  of  Animals," 
"  Man  and  Beast,"  "  Here  and  Hereafter."  (Eng.,  19th 
cent.) 


SCIENCE.  45 

98.  Whewell's  "  History  of  the  Inductive  Sciences  "  is  a 
very  broadening  book. 

99.  De  I'ocqueville's  "  Democracy  in  America "  is    one 
of  the  great  books,  and  is  superior  in  depth  and  style  even' 
to  Bryce.    The  two  books  supplement  each  other.     See  note 
89.      (France,  18th  cent.) 

100.  "  Constitutional  History  of  the  United  States."    (Ger., 
19th  cent.) 

loi.  *' Wealth  of  Nations/'  "  Moral  Sentiments."     (Eng., 
1 8th  cent.) 

102.  "  Principles  of  Population."     One  of  the  most  cele- 
brated of  books.      (Eng.,  i8th  cent.) 

103.  "  Principles  of  Social  Philosophy."    (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

104.  "  Essays  on  Political   Economy,"   "  Leading  Princi- 
ples of  Political  Economy."     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

T05.    "  Comparative  Politics."      (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

106.  "The  Theory  of  Political  Economy,"  "The  Logic 
of  Statistics."     (Eng.,  19th  cent) 

107.  "The  Nation,  the  Foundation   of  Civil   Order  and 
Political  Life  in  the  United  States."     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

108.  "Leviathan."     See  note  190.     (Eng.,  1 6th  cent.) 

109.  "The  Prince."     (Italy,  1469-1527.) 

no.    "Chips   from   a    German  Workshop,"   and  various 
works  on  Philology.     (Ger.,  19th  cent.) 

111.  "  Study  of  Words,"  etc.     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

112.  "  Words  and  Places."     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

113.  "  Natural  History  of  Selborne."     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

114.  "Animal  Kingdom."     (France,  early  19th  cent.) 

115.  "Voyages."     (Eng.,  1 8th  cent.) 

116.  "Heat  as  a  Mode  of  Motion,"  "Forms  of  Water," 
etc.     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

117.  "  On  Sound."     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 


46  REMARKS   ON   TABLE   I. 

1 18.  "Scientific  Researches."     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

119.  "Conservation  of  Energy."     In  a  book  on  this  sub- 
ject-edited by  E.  L.  Youmans.     (Ger.,  19th  cent.) 

120.  "Man's  Place  in  Nature."     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

121.  Botany.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

122.  "Methods  of  Study  in  Natural  History."     (U.  S, 
19th  cent.) 

123.  Physics.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 


BIOGRAPHY. 

Biography  carefully  read  will  cast  a  flood  of  light 
before  us  on  the  path  of  life.  Read  Longfellow's 
**  Psalm  of  Life,"  and  try  to  find  the  teachings  he  re- 
fers to  in  the  lives  of  great  men.  The  world  still 
lacks  what  it  very  much  needs,  —  a  book  of  brief 
biographies  of  the  greatest  and  noblest  men  and 
women  of  every  age  and  country,  by  a  master  hand. 
The  aim  should  be  to  extract  from  the  past  what  it 
can  teach  us  of  value  for  the  future;  and  to  do  this 
biography  must  become  a  comparative  science,  events 
and  lives  must  be  grouped  over  the  whole  range  of 
the  years,  that  by  similarities  and  contrasts  the  truth 
may  appear.  Smiles's  *'  Self-Help  "  is  a  partial  reali- 
zation of  this  plan. 

The  manner  of  reading  should  be :    R.  D. 

T24.  Plutarch's  "Lives"  comes  nearer  to  a  comparative 
biography  than  any  other  book  we  have.  He  contrasts  his 
characters  in  pairs,  a  Greek  and  a  Roman  in  each  couplet. 
It  is  one  of  the  most  delightful  of  books,  and  among  those 


BIOGRAPHY.  47 

most  universally  read  by  cultured  people  of  all  nations. 
Dryden's  translation  revised  by  Clough  is  the  best.  (Rome, 
ist  cent.) 

125.  In  Wendell  Phillips's  oration  on  "Toussaint  L'Ouver- 
ture,"  there  is  a  fascinating  comparison  of  the  noble  negro 
warrior  with  Napoleon.      (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

126.  Boswell's  "Johnson"  is  admittedly  the  greatest  life 
of  a  single  person  yet  written.     (Eng.,  i8th  cent.) 

127.  Lockhart's  "  Life  of  Scott"  is  a  favorite  with  all  who 
read  it.  Wilkie  Collins  especially  recommends  it  as  finely 
picturing  genius  and  nobility  of  character.    (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

128.  Marshall's  "Life  of  Washington"  is  an  inspiring 
book.  Gladstone  said  to  Mr.  Depevv  :  "  Sixty  years  ago  I 
read  Chief-Justice  Marshall's  '  Life  of  Washington/  and  I 
was  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  he  was  quite  the  greatest 
man  that  ever  lived.  The  sixty  years  that  have  passed  have 
not  changed  that  impression ;  and  to  any  Englishman  who 
seeks  my  advice  in  the  line  of  his  development  and  equip- 
ment I  invariably  say,  '  Begin  by  reading  the  Life  of  George 
Washington.'  "     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

Franklin's  "  Autobiography  "  is  brief,  philosophic,  and  de- 
lightfully frank  and  clear.     (U.  S.,  iSth  cent.) 

129.  "The  Life  of  Lincoln,"  by  Nicolay  and  Hay,  is  a 
book  that  has  very  strong  claims  to  the  attention  of  every 
American,  and  every  lover  of  liberty,  greatness,  nobility,  and 
kindliness.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

Grant's  "  Memoirs  "  deserves  reading  for  similar  reasons. 
The  great  General  lived  an  epic,  and  wrote  a  classic.  (U.  S  , 
19th  cent.) 

130.  Read  Carlyle's  "Life  of  John  Sterling,"  "Oliver 
Cromwell's  Letters  and  Speeches,"  and  "  Heroes  and  Hero 
Worship."     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

Renan's  "  Life  of  Christ."     (France,  19th  cent.) 


48  REMARKS    ON   TABLE   I. 

131.  Canon  Farrar's  little  "  Life  of  Dante  "  is,  consider- 
ing its  brevity,  one  of  the  best  things  in  this  department. 
(Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

132.  Emerson's  "  Representative  Men "  most  strongly 
stirs  thought  and  inspires  the  resolution.  (U.  S.,  19th 
cent.) 

133.  ''The  Portrait  Collection  of  the  Hundred  Greatest 
Men,"  published  by  Sampson,  Low,  &  Co.,  1879. 

134.  Read  Parton's  "Sketches  of  Men  of  Progress." 
(U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

135.  "  Lights  of  Two  Centuries."     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

136.  "Our  Great  Benefactors."     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

137.  "Book  of  Martyrs."     (Eng.,  early  i6th  cent.) 

138.  "The  Life  and  Times  of  Goethe,"  and  "Michael 
Angelo."     Most  interesting  books.     (Germany,  19th  cent.) 

139.  "  English  Statesmen."     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

140.  "  Life  of  Napoleon."     (France,  19th  cent.) 

141.  "Lives  of  the  Poets."     (Eng.,  i8th  cent.) 

142.  Walton's  "  Lives."     (Eng.,  1 7th  cent.) 

143.  "  Life  of  Dr.  Arnold."     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

144.  "  Life  of  Washington."     (U.  S.,  19th  cent  ) 

145.  "  Life  of  Nelson."     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

146.  "  Life  of  Pitt."     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

147.  "  Life  of  Byron."     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

148.  "  Lives  of  Female  Sovereigns  and  Illustrious  Women." 
(Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

149.  "  Lives  of  the  Saints."      (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

150.  "  Memories  of  many  Men."     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

151.  "Reminiscences."     (U.  S.,  i8th  cent.) 

Tlie  Life  and  Letters  of  Darwin,  Talleyrand,  and  Ma- 
caulay;  the  Journals  of  Miss  Alcott,-  Marie  Bashkirtseff, 
and  Eugenie    de    Guerih ;    the    Autobiography    of  Joseph 


HISTORY.  49 

Jefferson ;  the  "  American  Statesmen "  series,  edited  by 
John  T.  Morse,  Jr.,  and  the  "  English  Men  of  Letters  "  series 
are  all  valuable  books.  The  Journals  of  Miss  Alcott  and 
Marie  Bashkirtseff  are  stories  of  heart  struggles,  longings, 
failures,  and  triumphs,  and  are  of  exceeding  interest  and  great 
popularity.  The  Journal  of  Eugenie  de  Guerin  deserves 
to  be  better  known  than  it  is,  for  the  delicate  sweetness  of 
feeling  that  fills  its  pages. 


HISTORY. 

Remarks  may  be  made  about  History  very  similar 
to  those  in  the  special  remarks  concerning  Biography. 
The  field  is  too  vast  for  an  ordinary  life,  and  there  is 
no  book  that  will  give  in  brief  compass  the  net  re- 
sults and  profits  of  man's  investment  in  experience 
and  life,  —  the  dividends  have  not  been  declared. 
Guizot  and  Buckle  come  nearer  to  doing  this  than 
any  other  writers ;  but  t/ie  book  that  shall  reduce  the 
past  to  principles  that  will  guide  the  future  has  not 
yet  been  written.  The  student  will  be  greatly  assisted 
by  the  **  Manual  of  Historical  Literature,"  by  C.  K. 
Adams.  It  is  an  admirable  guide.  Putnam's  series, 
"The  Stories  of  the  Nations,"  and  Scribner's  **  Epoch" 
series  are  very  useful,  especially  for  young  people. 

The  manner  of  reading  the  best  history  should  be : 
R.  D.  G. 

152.  Green's  "  History  of  the  English  People  "  has  proba- 
bly the  first  claims  on  the  general  reader.     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

4 


50  REMARKS    ON   TABLE   I. 

153.  Bancroft's  *' History  of  the  United  States"  should 
be  read  by  every  American  citizen,  along  with  Dr.  Strong's 
"  Our  Country."  (U.  S.,  19th  cent.)  The  only  trouble  with 
Bancroft  is  that  he  does  not  bring  the  history  down  to  recent 
times.  Hildreth  for  the  student,  and  Ridpath  for  practical 
business  men  supply  this  defect.  Doyle's  "  History  of  the 
United  States "  is  perhaps  the  best  small  book,  and  his 
"  American  Colonies  "  is  also  good.  McMaster's  "  History 
of  the  People  of  the  United  States  "  is  a  brilliant  work,  given 
largely  to  an  account  of  the  social  life  of  the  people. 

154.  Guizot's  "  History  of  Civilization"  and  "  History  of 
France"  (France,  19th  cent.)  are  among  the  greatest  books 
of  the  world  ;  and  with  Buckle's  "  History  of  Civilization  " 
(Eng.,  19th  cent.)  will  give  a  careful  reader  an  intellectual 
breadth  and  training  far  above  what  is  attained  by  the  ma- 
jority even  of  reading  men. 

155.  Parkman  is  the  Macaulay  of  the  New  World.  He 
invests  the  truths  of  sober  history  with  all  the  charms  of 
poetic  imagination  and  graceful  style.  His  literary  work 
must  take  its  place  by  the  side  of  Scott  and  Irving.  Read 
his  "  France  and  England  in  North  America,"  "  Conspiracy 
of  Pontiac,"  and  ^'The  Oregon  Trail." 

Freeman,  Fiske,  and  Fyffe  are  also  great  historians,  who 
require  notice  here.  Freeman's  "  Comparative  Politics," 
"  History  of  the  Saracens,"  "  Growth  of  the  English  Consti- 
tution," "  History  of  Federal  Government,"  and  "  General 
Sketch  of  History  "  are  all  great  works,  —  the  last  being  the 
best  brief  account  of  general  history  that  we  possess.  (Eng., 
19th  cent.) 

Fiske's  "  Civil  Government,"  "  War  of  Independence,"  and 
"  Critical  Period  of  American  History  "  are  standard  books. 
(U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 


HISTORY.  5 1 

Fyffe's  "  Modern  Europe  "  is  called  the  most  brilliant  pic- 
ture of  the  Revolutionary  Period  in  existence.  It  is  certainly 
one  of  the  best  of  histories. 

155  a.  "Fifteen  Decisive  Battles  of  the  World."  (Eng., 
19th  cent.) 

156.  '^History  of  England  in  the  i8th  Century,"  "His- 
tory of  European  Morals."  These  books  take  very  high 
rank  in  respect  to  style,  accuracy,  and  completeness.  (Eng., 
19th  cent.) 

157.  "Ten  Great  Religions,"  by  James  Freeman  Clarke. 
(U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

158.  "Comparative  History  of  Religion." 

159.  "Intellectual  Development  of  Europe."  A  work  of 
great  power.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

160.  "  Middle  Ages."     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

161.  "Constitutional  History  of  England."  Bagehot's 
"  English  Constitution "  should  be  read  with  the  works  of 
Hallam,  Freeman,  and  May  on  this  topic,  because  of  its 
brilliant  generahzations  and  ingenious  suggestions.  (Eng., 
19th  cent.) 

162.  "  History  of  England."     (Eng.,  1 8th  cent.) 

163.  "History  of  England."     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

164.  "  History  of  England."     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

165.  "Dechne  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire."  (Eng., 
1 8th  cent.) 

166.  "  History  of  Greece."     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

167.  "  History  of  New  England."     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

168.  "Conquest  of  Mexico,"  "Peru,"  "Ferdinand  and 
Isabella,"  etc.  Prescott's  style  is  of  the  very  best,  clear, 
graphic,  and  ever  interesting.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

169.  "Rise  of  the  Dutch  Republic."  (U.  S.,  19th 
cent.) 


52  REMARKS    ON   TABLE   I. 

169^.  "Rise  of  the  Republic  of  the  United  States." 
(U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

170.  "Ancient  P^gyptians.''     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

171.  "  History  of  Rome."     (Eng._,  19th  cent.) 

172.  "  History  of  the  Germans."     (Ger.,  1798.) 

173.  "  Latin  Christianity."      (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

174.  "History  of  the  Papacy  in  the  i6th  and  17th  Cen- 
turies." Ranke  is  one  of  the  strongest  names  in  history. 
(Ger.,  19th  cent.) 

175.  "  Italian  RepubHcs."     (France.  1773-1842.) 

176.  "  History  of  France."     (France,  19th  cent.) 

177.  "  French  Revolution."     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

178.  "History  of  France,"  "Norman  Conquest  of  Eng- 
land."     (France,  19th  cent.) 

179.  "  Germania."  His  "  Life  of  Agricola  "  is  also  worthy 
of  note  for  the  insight  into  character,  the  pathos,  vigor,  and 
affection  manifested  in  its  flattering  pages.    (Rome,  ist  cent.) 

180.  "  History  of  Rome."     (Rome,  ist  cent.  B.C.) 

181.  "The  War  of  Catihne."     (Rome,  ist  cent.  b.  c.) 

182.  History  of  nearly  all  the  nations  known  at  the  time 
he  wrote.     (Greece,  5th  cent.  b.  c.) 

183.  "Anabasis,  the  Retreat  of  the  Greek  Mercenaries  of 
the  Persian  King."     (Greece,  5th  cent.  b.  c.) 

184.  "History  of  the  Athenian  Domination  of  Greece." 
(Greece,  5th  cent.  b.  c.) 

185.  "History  of  the  Jewish  Wars."  (Jerusalem,  ist 
cent.) 

Mackenzie's  "  History  of  the  Nineteenth  Century  "  is  the 
best  English  book  on  the  subject. 

Rawlinson's  "  Five  Great  Monarchies  "  is  strongly 
recommended. 


ESSAYS.  53 


PHILOSOPHY. 

There  have  been,  since  the  waters  of  thought  be- 
gan to  flow,  two  great  streams  running  side  by  side, 
—  RationaHsm  and  Mysticism.  Those  who  sail  upon 
the  former  recognize  Reason  as  king;  those  upon 
the  latter  enthrone  some  vague  and  shadowy  power, 
in  general  known  as  Intuition.  The  tendency  of  the 
one  is  to  begin  with  sense  impressions,  and  out  of 
these  to  build  up  a  universe  in  the  brain  correspond- 
ing to  the  outer  world,  and  to  arrive  at  a  belief  in 
God  by  climbing  the  stairway  of  induction  and  anal- 
ogy. The  tendency  of  the  other  is  to  start  with  the 
affirmed  nature  of  God,  arrived  at,  the  thinker  knows 
not  how,  and  deduce  the  universe  from  the  concep- 
tion of  the  Divine  Nature.  If  this  matter  is  kept  in 
mind,  the  earnest  student  will  be  able  to  see  through 
the  mists  sufficiently  to  discover  what  the  philosophers 
are  talking  about  whenever  it  chances  that  they  them- 
selves knew.  Spencer,  Plato,  Berkeley,  Kant,  Locke, 
are  all  worthy  of  a  thorough  reading;  and  Comte's 
philosophy  of  Mathematics  is  of  great  importance. 

The  manner  of  reading  good  philosophic  works 
should  be:    R.  D.  G. 

i86.  Spencer's  Philosophy  is  the  grandest  body  of  thought 
that  any  one  man  has  ever  given  to  the  world.  No*one  who 
wishes  to  move  with  the  tide  can  afford  to  bo-  unfamiliar  with 
his  books,  from  ''  First  Principles  "  to  his  Essays.     He  be- 


54  REMARKS   ON  TABLE   I. 

lieves  that  all  ideas,  or  their  materials,  have  come  through 
the  avenues  of  the  senses.     (Eng.,   19th  cent.) 

187.  Plato  and  Socrates  are  a  double  star  in  the  sky  of 
Philosophy  that  the  strongest  telescopes  have  failed  to  re- 
solve. Socrates  wrote  nothing,  but  talked  much.  Plato  was 
a  pupil  of  his,  and  makes  Socrates  the  chief  character  in  his 
writings.  Ten  schools  of  philosophy  claimed  Socrates  as 
their  head,  but  Plato  alone  represented  the  master  with  ful- 
ness. Considering  the  times  in  which  he  lived,  the  grandeur 
of  his  thought,  the  power  of  his  imagination,  and  the  no- 
bility, elegance,  originality,  and  beauty  of  his  writings,  Plato 
has  no  superior  in  the  whole  range  of  literature.  With  Plato,- 
ideas  are  the  only  realities,  things  are  imperfect  expressions  of 
them,  and  all  knowledge  is  reminiscence  of  what  the  soul 
learned  when  it  was  in  the  land  of  spirit,  face  to  face  with 
ideas  unveiled.  Read  his  dialogues,  especially  "  Phaedo " 
and  the  "Repubhc."     (Greece,  429-348  B.C.) 

188.  A  most  acute  idealist,  whose  argument  against  the 
existence  of  matter  is  one  of  the  great  passages  of  literature. 
(Eng.,   1 8th  cent.) 

189.  Kant  argues  that  \}(\q  forms  of  thought,  time,  and  space 
are  necessarily  intuitive,  and  not  derived  from  sensation, 
since  they  are  prerequisites  to  sensation.  Read  the  "  Cri- 
tique of  Pure  Reason,"  "  Critique  of  Practical  Reason,"  in 
which  he  treats  moral  philosophy,  and  "  Observations  on  the 
Subhme  and  Beautiful."     (Germany,  i8th  cent.) 

190.  Locke  bases  knowledge  on  sensation.  His  "Essay 
on  the  Conduct  of  the  Understanding  "  is  one  of  the  most 
valuable  books  in  the  language.  Spencer,  Mill,  and  Locke 
have  so  fully  imbibed  all  that  was  good  in  Hobbes  that  it  is 
scarcely  necessary  to  read  him.     (Eng.,  1 7th  cent.) 

191.  Comte's    "Positive    Philosophy"    rejects    intuitive 


PHILOSOPHY. 


55 


knowledge.  It  is  characterized  by  force  of  logic,  immense 
research,  great  power  of  generalization  (which  is  frequently 
carried  beyond  the  warrant  of  facts),  and  immense  bulk. 
(France,  19th  cent.) 

192.  Sensationalist.  A  very  strong  writer.  (Eng.,  19th 
cent.) 

193.  "Limits  of  Religious  Thought."  A  very  powerful 
exposure  of  the  weakness  of  human  imagination.  (Eng., 
19th  cent.) 

194.  "  Matter  and  Force."  A  powerful  presentation  of 
Materialism.      (Ger.,  19th  cent.) 

195.  "Freedom  of  the  Will."  A  demonstration  of  the 
impossibihty  of  free  will.     (Amer.,  i8th  cent.) 

196.  A  very  acute  Enghsh  philosopher.  (Eng.,  1748- 
1832.) 

197.  Moral  and  Metaphysical  Philosophy.  (Eng.,  19th 
cent.) 

198.  A  deep,  clear  thinker,  of  sceptical  character,  who 
laid  bare  the  flaws  in  the  old  philosophies.  (Eng.,  1711- 
1776.) 

199.  One  of  the  most  profound  metaphysicians  the  world 
can  boast,  and  inventor  of  quaternions,  the  latest  addition  to 
Mathematics.     (Scot.,   19th  cent.) 

200.  Aristotle  was  the  Bacon  of  the  Old  World.  His 
method  was  the  very  opposite  of  Plato's.  He  sought  knowl- 
edge chiefly  by  carefully  looking  out  upon  the  world,  instead 
of  by  introspection.  No  one  has  exerted  a  greater  influence 
on  the  thought  of  the  world  than  this  deep  and  earnest 
thinker.     (Greece,  4th  cent.  b.  c) 

201.  A  very  beautiful  writer  of  the  idealist  school,  though 
he  claims  to  be  eclectic.     (France,  19th  cent.) 

202.  Hegel  endeavored,  by  the  method  set  forth  in  his 


56 


REMARKS   ON  TABLE   I. 


"Absolute  Logic,"  to  reduce  all  knowledge  to  one  science. 
(Ger.,  1 770-183 1.)  Schelling,  in  his  "  Philosophy  of  Iden- 
tity," tries  to  prove  that  the  same  laws  hold  in  the  world  of 
spirit  as  in  the  world  of  matter.  Schelling  bases  his  system 
on  an  intuition  superior  to  reason,  and  admitting  neither 
doubt  nor  explanation.     (Ger.,  17 75-1854.) 

203.  Fichte  carries  the  doctrines  of  Kant  to  their  limit : 
to  him  all  except  the  life  of  the  mind  is  a  delusion.  (Ger., 
18th  cent.) 

204.  A  great  German  philosopher  of  the  time  of  Luther 
(i6th  cent.),  very  learned,  refined,  and  witty.  Read  his 
"Familiar  Colloquies." 

205.  "  Cosmic  Philosophy."     (Amer.  19th  cent.) 

206.  "  Rational  Cosmology,  or  the  Eternal  Principles  and 
Necessary  Laws  of  the  Universe."      (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

207.  Scottish  Philosophy.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

208.  Theologico-pohtico-moral,  voluminous  dissertations. 
(Amsterdam,  17th  cent.) 

ESSAYS. 

Next  to  Shakspeare's  Plays,  Emerson's  Essays 
and  Lectures  are  to  me  the  richest  inspiration.  At 
every  turn  new  and  delightful  paths  open  before  the 
mind ;  and  the  poetic  feeling  and  imagery  are  often 
of  the  best.  Only  the  music  and  the  power  of  dis- 
criminating the  wheat  from  the  chaff  were  lacking  to 
have  made  one  of  the  world's  greatest  poets.  To 
pour  into  the  life  the  spirit  of  Emerson,  Bacon,  and 
Montaigne  is  a  liberal  education  in  itself.     Addison's 


ESSAYS.  57 

"  Spectator  "  is  inimitable  in  its  union  of  humor,  sense, 
and  imagination.  A  number  of  eminent  men,  Frank- 
lin among  them,  have  referred  to  it  as  the  source  of 
their  literary  power. 

Read  these  essays:   R.  D.  C.  G. 

209.  Emerson's  Essays  and  Lectures  certainly  deserve 
our  first  attention  in  this  department,  because  of  their  poetic 
beauty  and  stimulating  effect  upon  the  imagination  and  all 
that  is  pure  and  strong  and  noble  in  the  character.  (Amer., 
19th  cent.) 

210.  Nowhere  can  be  found  so  much  wit  and  wisdom  to 
the  square  inch  as  in  Bacon's  Essays.     (Eng.,  1600.) 

211.  Montaigne  is  the  most  popular  of  all  the  world's 
essayists,  because  of  his  common-sense,  keen  insight,  and 
perfect  frankness.  The  only  author  we  certainly  know  to 
have  been  in  Shakspeare's  own  library.     (France,  1580.) 

212.  Ruskin's  "Ethics  of  the  Dust,"  "Crown  of  Wild 
Olives,"  "  Sesame  and  Lilies,"  while  somewhat  wild  in  sub- 
stance as  well  as  in  title,  are  well  worthy  of  reading  for  the 
intellectual  stimulus  afforded  by  their  breadth  of  view,  novelty 
of  expression  and  illustration,  and  the  intense  force  —  al- 
most fanaticism  —  which  characterizes  all  that  Ruskin  says. 
Ruskin  is  one  of  three  living  writers  whom  Farrar  says  he 
would  first  save  from  a  conflagration  of  the  world's  library. 
Carlyle  is  another  of  the  same  sort.  Read  his  "  Past  and 
Present,"  a  grand  essay  on  Justice.      (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

So  far  as  style  is  concerned,  Addison's  Essays  in  the 
"  Spectator  "  are  probably  the  best  in  the  world. 


58  REMARKS    ON   TABLE  I. 


FICTION. 

In  modern  times  much  that  is  best  in  Hterature  has 
gone  into  the  pages  of  the  novel.  The  men  and 
women  of  genius  who  would  in  other  days  have  been 
great  poets,  philosophers,  dramatists,  essayists,  and 
humorists  have  concentrated  their  powers,  and  poured 
out  all  their  wealth  to  set  in  gold  a  story  of^iuman 
life.  Don't  neglect  the  novels;  but  be  sure  "to  read 
good  ones,  and  don't  read  too  many. 

In  fiction,  England,  America,  and  France  are  far 
ahead  of  the  rest  of  the  world.  Scott  may  well  be 
held  to  lead  the  list,  considering  the  quantity  and 
quality  of  what  he  wrote ;  and  Dickens,  I  presume, 
by  many  would  be  written  next,  though  I  prefer  the 
philosophic  novelists,  like  George  Eliot,  Macdonald, 
Kingsley,  Hugo,  etc.  Fielding,  Richardson,  Gold- 
smith, Sterne,  and  Defoe,  Jane  Austen,  Cooper,  and 
Marryat  all  claim  our  attention  on  one  account  or 
another. 

The  United  States  can  boast  of  Hawthorne,  Tour- 
gee,  Wallace,  Hearn,  Aldrich,  Warner,  Curtis,  Jewett, 
Craddock,  and  many  others. 

France  has  a  glorious  army,  led  by  Victor  Hugo, 
George  Sand,  Balzac,  Dumas,  Gautier,  Merimee,  etc. 
But  the  magnificent  powers  of  these  artists  are  com- 
bined with  sad  defects.  Hugo  is  the  greatest  literary 
force  since  Goethe  and  Scott;  but  his  digressions  are 
sometimes  terribly  tedious,  his  profundity  darkness, 


FICTION.  59 

and  his  "  unities,"  his  plot,  and  reasons  for  lugging  in 
certain  things  hard  to  find.  Balzac  gives  us  a  mo- 
notony of  wickedness.  George  Sand  is  prone  to 
idealize  lust.  "  Notre  Dame  "  and  "  Les  Miserables," 
*'  Le  Pere  Goriot"  and  *'  Eugenie  Grandet,"  ''  Consu- 
elo  "  and  "  La  Mare  au  Diable,"  **  Capitaine  Fracasse  " 
and  "  Vingt  Ans  Apres,"  are  great  books ;  but  they 
will  not  rank  with  *'  Tom  Jones  "  artistically,  nor  with 
the  ''Vicar  of  Wakefield,"  '*  Ivanhoe,"  ''Adam  Bede," 
"  Romola,"  or  "  The  Scarlet  Letter,"  considering  all 
the  elements  that  go  to  make  a  great  novel. 

Germany,  Italy,  and  Spain  have  no  fiction  that 
compares  with  ours. 

No  doubt  many  will  be  surprised  to  find  Fielding, 
Balzac,  Tolstoi,  and  others  placed  so  low  in  the  list 
as  they  are.  The  reason  is  that  the  moral  tone  of  a 
book  is,  with  us,  a  weightier  test  of  its  claims  on  the 
attention  of  the  general  reader,  than  the  style  of  the 
author  or  the  merit  of  his  work  from  an  artistic  point 
of  view.  There  might  be  some  doubt  whether  or  no 
we  ought  not  to  exclude  from  our  tables  entirely  all 
books  that  are  not  noble  enough  in  character  to 
admit  of  their  being  read  aloud  in  the  family.  The 
trouble  is  that  much  of  the  finest  literature  of  the 
world  would  have  to  be  excluded.  So  there  seems 
to  be  no  course  but  to  admit  these  men,  with  a  note 
as  to  their  character. 

One  who  wishes  to  make  a  study  of  the  novel  will 
be  interested  in  Dunlop's  "  History  of  Fiction,"  Tuck- 
erman's  "  History  of  English  Prose  Fiction,"  Hazlitt's 


6o  REMARKS    ON  TABLE   I. 

"  English  Novelists,"  Lanier's  "  Novel,"  Masson's 
**  British  Novelists  and  their  Styles,"  and  Jeaffreson's 
'*  Novels  and  Novelists." 

The  best  fiction  should  be  read:    R.  D.  G. 

213.  "Heart  of  Midlothian,"  "  Waverley,"  "  Ivanhoe," 
"  Kenilvvorth,"  "Guy  Mannering,"  "Tlie  Antiquary,"  "Rob 
Roy,"  "  Old  Mortality,"  "  Red  Gauntlet,"  etc.  Scott  is  by 
very  many  —  and  among  them  some  of  the  greatest  —  loved 
more  than  any  other  novehst.  1  he  purity,  beauty,  breadth, 
and  power  of  his  works  will  ever  place  them  among  the  most 
desirable  reading.  (Eng.,  19th  cent.)  Hutton's  "Sir  Walter 
Scott,"  Carlyle's  "Essay  on  Scott,"  Hazlitt's  Essay  in  "The 
Spirit  of  the  Age,"  and  other  books  referred  to  in  the  head 
notes  to  Poetry  and  Fiction  will  be  useful  to  the  student  of 
Scott. 

214.  "Adam  Bede,"  "Mill  on  the  Floss,"  "  Romola," 
"  Silas  Marner,"  etc.  Deep  philosophy  and  insight  into 
character  mark  all  George  Eliot's  writings.'  (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 
Lanier's  "  Development  of  the  Novel "  is  practically  only  an 
enthusiastic  study  of  George  Eliot. 

215.  "Pickwick,"  "David  Copperfield,"  "Bleak  House," 
*'  Martin  Chuzzlewit,"  "  Old  Curiosity  Shop,"  etc.  Dickens 
needs  no  comment.  His  fame  is  in  every  house.  (Eng., 
19th  cent.) 

216.  Hawthorne's  "Scarlet  Letter,"  "Marble  Faun," 
"  Great  Stone  Face,"  etc.,  are  by  universal  consent  accorded 
the  first  place  in  the  lists  of  American  novels,  and  are  among 
the  best  to  be  found  anywhere.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

217.  "Vicar  of  Wakefield."  -One  of  Goethe's  earliest 
favorites.     (Eng.,  i8th  cent.) 

218.  "Rienzi,"   "Last  Days  of  Pompeii,"  "Last  of  the 


FICTION.  6 1 

Barons,"   etc.      Most  powerful,   delightful,   and   broadening 
books.     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

219.  "Malcolm,"  "Marquis  o'  Lossie,"  "David  Elgin- 
brod,"  etc.  Books  of  marvellous  spiritual  helpfulness.  (Eng., 
19th  cent.) 

220.  "  Esmond,"  "  Vanity  Fair,"  etc.  Very  famous  books. 
(Eng.,  T9th  cent.) 

221.  "Westward,  Ho  !"  "Two  Years  Ago,"  etc.  Among 
the  best  and  most  famous  pictures  of  true  English  character. 
(Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

222.  "Ben  Hur."  This  book  has  been  placed  close  to 
the  Bible  and  Bunyan.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

223.  "Hot  Plowshares,"  "The  Idol's  Errand,"  "The  In- 
visible Empire,"  "Appeal  to  Caesar,"  etc.  Books  widely 
known,  but  whose  great  merit  is  not  fully  recognized.  Tour- 
gee,  though  uneven,  seems  to  us  a  writer  of  very  great  power. 
His  "  Hot  Plowshares  "  is  a  powerful  historical  novel ;  and 
few  books  in  the  whole  range  of  literature  are  so  intensely 
interesting,  and  so  free  from  all  that  is  objectionable  in  sub- 
ject or  execution.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

224.  "Les  Mis^rables,"  "Notre  Dame  de  Paris,"  "Les 
Travailleurs  de  la  Mer,"  etc.  Wraxall's  translations  of  these 
great  French  novels  are  most  excellent.     (France,  19th  cent.) 

Some  critics  think  that  no  characters  in  Shakspeare  are 
better  drawn  than  those  of  Dumas.  "Monte  Cristo,"  "The 
Vicomte  de  Bragelonne"  (Stevenson's  favorite),  "The  Three 
Musketeers,"  "Twenty  Years  After,"  "The  Marie  Antoi- 
nette Romances,"  etc.,  are  powerful  and  intensely  interesting 
novels.     (France,  19th  cent.) 

225.  "Robinson  Crusoe."  There  are  few  persons  who  do 
not  get  delight  and  inspiration  from  Defoe's  wonderful  story. 
(Eng.,  1661-1731.) 


62  REMARKS    ON  TABLE   I. 

" Tom  Brown  at  Rugby  "  and  "Tom  Brown  at  Oxford,-'  by 
Thomas  Hughes,  are  delightful  books  for  boys.  (Eng.,  19th 
cent.) 

226.  Mrs.  Stowe's  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  was  God's 
bugle-call  to  the  war  against  slavery.  Her  "  Oldtown  Folks  " 
and  "  Sam  Lawson's  Fireside  Stories  "  are  very  humorous 
sketches  of  New  England  hfe.     (U.  S.,  igth  cent.) 

Cooper's  "The  Spy,"  "The  Pilot,"  "Leather  Stocking," 
"  Deerslayer,"  "  Pathfinder,"  etc.,  are  books  that  interfere 
with  food  and  sleep,  and  chain  us  to  their  pages.  (U.  S., 
19th  cent.) 

227.  "  Prue  and  I,"  by  George  William  Curtis,  is  one  of 
the  most  suggestive  stories  in  print,  and  is  in  every  way  a 
delightful  book.  "  Potiphar  Papers,"  "  Our  Best  Society," 
"Trumps,"  "Lotus  Eaters,"  —  in  fact,  everything  Mr.  Curtis 
writes,  is  of  the  highest  interest,  and  worthy  of  the  most  care- 
ful attention.      (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

The  same  may  be  said  of  the  works  of  Charles  Dudley 
Warner, —  "Being  a  Boy,"  "A  Hunting  of  the  Deer,"  "In 
the  Wilderness,"  "Backlog  Studies,"  "My  Summer  in  a 
Garden,"  etc.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

228.  T.  B.  Aldrich,  while  perhaps  not  destined  to  rank 
with  Scott,  EHot,  and  Hawthorne,  is  nevertheless  one  of  the 
most  wholesome  and  interesting  of  living  authors.  "  The  Still- 
water Tragedy  "  is  his  strongest  book.  "  Prudence  Palfrey," 
"The  Story  of  a  Bad  Boy,"  "Margery  Daw,"  and  "The 
Queen  of  Sheba "  will  doubtless  be  read  by  those  who 
once  become  acquainted  with  the  author.  (U.  S.,  19th 
cent.) 

The  first  part  of  Hearn's  "  Chita  "  exceeds  in  beauty  and 
strength  any  other  piece  of  descriptive  writing  with  which 
we  are  familiar.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 


FICTION.  63 

229.  Ebers'  "Homo  Sum,"  "  Uarda,"  and  "An  Egyptian 
Princess "  are  very  powerful  studies  of  Egyptian  life  and 
history.     (Ger.,  39th  cent.) 

"With  Fire  and  Sword,"  and  its  sequels,  "The  Deluge" 
and  "Pan  Michael,"  by  Henryk  Sienkiewicz,  are  among  the 
greatest  books  of  modern  times.  They  are  historical  ro- 
mances of  the  conflict  between  Russia,  Poland,  and  Sweden  ; 
and  their  power  may  be  guessed  from  the  fact  that  critics  have 
compared  the  author  favorably  with  Scott,  Dumas,  Schiller, 
Cervantes,  Thackeray,  Turgenieff,  Homer,  and  even  Shak- 
speare.     (Poland,  19th  cent.) 

230.  Miss  Austen's  "  Emma,"  "  Pride  and  Prejudice  " 
(Eng.,  19th  cent.),  and  Charlotte  Bronte's  "Jane  Eyre" 
(Eng.,  19th  cent.),  are  all  noble  and  renowned  novels. 

231.  Louisa  Alcott's  "Little  Women  "  is  a  lovely  story  of 
home  life ;  and  its  exceeding  popularity  is  one  of  the  most 
encouraging  signs  of  the  growth  of  a  taste  for  pure,  gentle, 
natural  literature.      (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

Mrs.  Burnett's  "  Little  Lord  Fauntleroy  "  deservedly  met 
at  once  a  high  reward  of  popularity,  and  was  placed  in  the 
front  rank  among  stories  of  child-life.  As  a  teacher  of  gen- 
tleness and  good  manners  it  is  invaluable.    (Eng.,  19th cent.) 

232.  Cable's  "Grande  Pointe,"  "The  Grandissimes/'etc, 
should  be  read  by  all  who  wish  to  know  the  best  living  novel- 
ists.    (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

Craddock's  "Where  the  Battle  was  Fought,"  "Despot  of 
Broomsedge  Cove,"  ''  Prophet  of  Great  Smoky  Mountain," 
"Story  of  Keedon  Bluffs,"  and  "Down  the  Ravine"  are 
fascinating  stories,  the  last  two  being  fine  books  for  children. 
(U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

233.  Mrs.  A.  D.  T.  Whitney's  "Sights  and  Insights," 
though  somewhat  too  wordy  for  this  busy  world,  is  worthy 
a  place  here,  because  of  its  spiritual  beauty  and  its   keen 


64  REMARKS   ON  TABLE  I. 

common-sense  in  respect  to  marriage  and  courtship.     (U.  S., 
19th  cent.) 

Sarah  Orne  Jewett  has  won  a  good  name  by  her  excellent 
stories,  '' Deephaven,"  "Betty  Leicester,"  etc.  Her  "Play 
Days  "  is  a  fine  book  for  girls.      (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

234.  Fielding,  Le  Sage,  and  Balzac  are  writers  of  great 
power,  whose  works  are  studied  for  their  artistic  merit,  their 
wit,  and  the  intense  excitement  some  of  them  yield ;  but  the 
general  moral  tone  of  their  writings  places  them  below  the 
purer  writers  above  spoken  of  in  respect  to  their  value 
to  the  general  reader,  one  of  whose  deepest  interests  is 
character-forming. 

Fielding's  "  Tom  Jones  "  is  by  many  considered  the  finest 
novel  in  existence ;  and  it  undoubtedly  would  be,  if  along 
with  its  literary  skill  it  possessed  the  high  tone  of  Curtis  or 
Scott.  "Jonathan  Wild"  is  also  a  powerful  story.  (Eng., 
i8th  cent.) 

"  Gil  Bias,"  by  Le  Sage,  is  one  of  the  most  famous  and 
widely  read  books  in  the  world.     (France,  1 668-1 747.) 

Balzac's  best  are  "  Le  Pere  Goriot "  (and  especially  the 
magnificent  preface  to  this  book),  "  La  Recherche  de  I'Ab- 
solu,"  "  Eugenie  Grandet,"  "  La  Peau  de  Chagrin,"  etc. 
(France,  19th  cent.) 

235.  Rousseau's  "  Emile  "  has  been  called  the  greatest 
book  ever  written  ;  but  we  presume  that  bias  and  limitation  of 
knowledge  on  the  part  of  critics  (not  rare  accomplishments 
of  theirs)  might  procure  a  similar  judgment  in  respect  to 
almost  any  strong  and  peculiar  book.  Rousseau's  "  Con- 
fessions "  are  worth  some  attention.     (France,  18th  cent.) 

Saintine's  ''Picciola"  is  a  beautiful  story.  (France,  19th 
cent.) 

236.  Coffin's   "Boys  of '76,"   "  Boys  of '61,"  "Story  of 


FICTION.  65 

Liberty,-'  etc.,  are  splendid  books  for  young  people.  The 
last  describes  the  march  of  the  human  race  from  slavery  to 
freedom.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

•   Charles  Reade's  "  Hard  Cash,"  "  Peg  Woffington,"  ''  Clois- 
ter and  Hearth  "  are  fascinating  stories.      (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 
Warren's  ''  Ten  Thousand  a  Year." 

237.  Landor's  ''  Imaginary  Conversations  of  Great  Men." 
(Eng.,  1 8th  cent.) 

Turgenieff's  "Liza,"  "Smoke,"  and  "Fathers  and  Sons.'* 
(Russia,  19th  cent.) 

Eugene  Sue's  "Wandering  Jew." 
Manzoni's  "  I  promessi  Sposi." 

238.  Cottin's  "  Elizabeth." 

Besant's  "All  Sorts  and  Conditions  of  Men."  (Eng., 
19th  cent.) 

Stevenson's  "  The  Strange  Case  of  Dr.  Jekyll  and  Mr. 
Hyde."  A  book  that  teaches  the  danger  of  giving  way  to 
the  evil  side  of  our  nature. 

239.  Mrs.  Ward's  "  Robert  Elsmere  "  is  a  famous  picture 
of  the  struggle  in  the  religious  mind  to-day.   (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

Margaret  Deland's  "John  Ward,  Preacher,"  is  a  book  of 
the  same  class  as  the  last,  but  is  not  as  interesting  as  her 
"Florida  Days"  or  her  Poems.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

Anna  Sewell's  "  Black  Beauty  "  is  the  autobiography  of  a 
noble  horse,  and  is  tender  and  intelligent.  A  book  that  every 
one  who  has  anything  to  do  with  horses,  or  indeed  with  ani- 
mals of  any  sort,  cannot  afford  to  neglect.    (Eng.,  1 9th  cent.) 

Bret  Harte's  "  Luck  of  Roaring  Camp  "  is  an  interesting 
picture  of  Western  hfe,  and  opens  a  new  vein  of  fiction. 
(U.  S.,   19th  cent.) 

240.  Green's  "  Hand  and  Ring,"  "  Leavenworth  Case," 
etc.,  are  splendid  examples  of  reasoning,  without  any  of  the 

5 


66  REMARKS   ON  TABLE  I. 

objectionable  features  usually  found  in  detective  stories. 
(U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

Miss  Mulock's  "  John  Halifax,  Gentleman/'  is  a  great  and 
famous  book.     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

Disraeli's  "  Lothair,"  "  Endymion,"  etc.,  are  strong  books, 
requiring  the  notice  of  one  who  reads  widely  in  English 
fiction.     (Eng.;  T9th  cent.) 

Howells'  *'  A  Modern  Instance,"  "  The  Undiscovered 
Country,"  "  A  Hazard  of  New  Fortunes,"  "  A  Chance  Ac- 
quaintance," "  Lady  of  the  Aroostook,"  etc.,  are  not  objec- 
tionable.    (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

Tolstoi's  "  Anna  Karenina  "  deserves  mention,  though  we 
cannot  by  any  means  agree  with  Howells  that  Tolstoi  is  the 
greatest  of  novelists.  The  motive  and  atmosphere  of  his 
books  are  not  lofty,  and  some  of  his  work  is  positively  dis- 
graceful.     (Russia,  19th  cent.) 

241.  George  Sand's  "Consuelo"  is  a  great  book  in  more 
senses  than  one ;  and  although  it  deserves  a  place  in  this 
lower  list,  yet  there  are  so  many  better  books,  that  if  one 
follows  the  true  order,  life  would  be  likely  to  depart  before 
he  had  time  to  read  a  four- volume  novel  by  an  author  of  the 
tone  of  George  Sand.     (France,  19th  cent.) 

Black's  "  Strange  Adventures  of  a  Phaeton,"  "  Princess  of 

Thule."     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

Blackmore's  "  Lorna  Doone."     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

Olive  Schreiner's  "  Story  of  an  African  Farm  "  is  powerful, 

but  not  altogether  wholesome.     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

242.  Bremer's  "The  Neighbors."    (Norway,  19th  cent.) 
TroUope's    *'  Last    Chronicles    of    Barsetshire."       (Eng., 

19th  cent.) 

Winthrop's  "  Cecil  Dreeme,"  "  John  Brent."  (U.  S., 
19th  cent.) 


ORATORY.  6^ 

243.  Richardson's  "Pamela"  and  "Clarissa  Harlowe  " 
are  interesting,  because  they  were  the  beginning  of  the  Eng- 
lish novel ;  but  they  are  not  nice  or  natural,  and  have  no 
attractions  except  their  historic  position.    (Eng.,  1689-1761.) 

Smollett's  "  Humphrey  Clinker "  is  his  strongest  work. 
"  Peregrine  Pickle  "  is  very  witty,  and  "  Adventures  of  an 
Atom "  altogether  a  miserable  book.  Smollett  possessed 
power,  but  his  work  is  on  a  very  low  plane.  (Eng.,  i8th 
cent.) 

Boccaccio's  "Decameron"  is  a  series  of  splendidly  told 
tales,  from  which  Chaucer  drew  much  besides  his  inspiration. 
The  book  is  strong,  but  of  very  inferior  moral  tone. 


ORATORY. 

Great  and  successful  oratory  requires  deep  knowl- 
edge of  the  human  mind  and  character,  personal 
force,  vivid  imagination,  control  of  language  and 
temper,  and  a  faculty  of  putting  the  greatest  truths 
in  such  clear  and  simple  and  forceful  form,  that  they 
may  not  only  be  grasped  by  untrained  minds,  but 
will  break  down  the  barriers  of  prejudice  and  in- 
terest, and  fight  their  way  to  the  throne  of  the  will. 
Oratory  is  religion,  science,  philosophy,  biography, 
history,  wit,  pathos,  and  poetry  in  action.  This  de- 
partment of  literature  is  therefore  of  the  greatest  value 
in  the  development  of  mind  and  heart,  and  of  the 
power  to  influence  and  control  our  fellows.  Espe- 
cially read  and  study  Demosthenes  on  the  Crown, 
Burke's    **  Warren     Hastings'     Oration,"     Webster's 


68  REMARKS   ON   TABLE  I. 

"  Reply  to  Hayne,"  Phillips'  "  Lovejoy  "  and  '' Tous- 
saint  L'Ouverture,"  and  Lincoln's  "  Gettysburg,"  his 
debates  with  Douglas,  and  his  great  speeches  in  New 
York  and  the  East  before  the  War,  in  which  fun, 
pathos,  and  logic  were  all  welded  together  in  such 
masterly  shape  that  professors  of  oratory  followed 
him  about  from  city  to  city,  studying  him  as  a  model 
of  eloquence.  There  is  a  book  called  "  Great  Ora- 
tions of  Great  Orators  "  that  is  very  valuable,  and 
there  is  a  series  of  three  volumes  containing  the 
best  British  orations  (fifteen  orators),  and  another 
similar  series  of  American  speeches  (thirty-two 
orators). 


WIT  AND   HUMOR. 

In  what  wit  consists,  and  why  it  is  we  laugh,  are 
questions  hard  to  answer  (read  on  that  subject  Spen- 
cer and  Hobbes,  and  Mathews'  '*  Wit  and  Humor; 
their  Use  and  Abuse");  but  certain  it  is  that  a  little 
seasoning  of  fun  makes  intellectual  food  very  pal- 
atable, and  much  better  adapts  it  for  universal  and 
permanent  assimilation.  Most  men  can  keep  what  is 
tied  to  their  memories  with  a  joke.  Considering  all 
things,  Lowell,  Holmes,  Dickens,  and  Cervantes  are 
the  best  humorists  the  world  affords.  See  Table  HL 
Group  4.  They  exhibit  a  union  of  power  and  pur- 
pose that  is  not  found  elsewhere.  They  always  sub- 
ordinate wit  to  wisdom,  always  aim  at  something  far 


WIT  AND   HUMOR.  69 

higher  than  making  fun  for  its  own  sake,  never  appear 
to  make  any  effort  for  their  effects,  and  ahvays  poHsh 
their  work  to  perfection.  A  great  deal  of  the  keenest 
wit  will  be  found  in  books  whose  general  character 
puts  them  in  some  other  column,  —  Poetry,  Fiction, 
Oratory,  etc.  The  works  of  Shakspeare,  Addison, 
Eliot,  Sheridan,  Goldsmith,  Irving,  Higginson,  Carle- 
ton,  Thackeray,  Hood,  Saxe,  Fielding,  Smollett,  Aris- 
tophanes, Moliere,  etc.,  abound  in  wit  and  humor. 

The  student  of  humor  will  be  interested  in  Hazlitt's 
"  English  Comic  Writers,"  Thackeray's  "  English 
Humorists,"  and  Besant's  ''  French  Humorists." 

244.  "Fable  for  Critics,"  "Biglow  Papers."  Consider- 
ing the  keenness  and  variety  of  wit,  the  depth  of  sarcasm, 
the  breadth  of  view,  and  the  importance  of  its  subject,  the 
"  Biglow  Papers  "  is  the  greatest  humorous  work  of  all  his- 
tory.    (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

245.  "Autocrat  of  the  Breakfast-Table,"  "Professor  at 
the  Breakfast-Table,"  etc.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

246.  "  Pickwick  Papers."     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

247.  "Don  Quixote."     (Spain,  1547-1616.) 

248.  Along  with  much  violent  scoffing,  and  calling  of  his 
betters  by  hard  names,  Ingersoll's  speeches  contain  some  of 
the  keenest  wit  in  the  language.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

249.  Marietta  Holley's  "Sweet  Cicely,"  "Samantha  at 
the  Centennial,"  "  Betsey  Bobbet,"  "  My  Wayward  Pardner," 
"  Samantha  at  Saratoga,"  "  Samantha  among  the  Brethren," 
etc.,  are  full  of  quaint  fun,  keen  insight,  and  common-sense. 
They  are  somewhat  more  wordy  than  we  wish  they  were, 
but  they  are  wholesome,  and  the  author's  purpose  is  always 


JO  REMARKS   ON  TABLE  I. 

a  lofty  one.  Her  fun  is  not  mere  fun,  but  is  like  the  laugh- 
ing eye  and  smiling  lip  of  one  whose  words  are  full  of  thought 
and  elevated  feeling.     (U.  S.,  igth  cent.) 

250.  G.  W.  Curtis's  "  Potiphar  Papers  "  is  a  good  exam- 
ple of  quiet,  refined  humor.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

251.  Chauncey  j\I.  Depew's  Orations  and  After-Dinner 
Speeches  are  worthy  of  perusal  by  all  lovers  of  wit  and  sense. 
(U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

252.  Mark  Twain  is  the  greatest  of  those  who  make 
humor  the  primary  object.  He  does  not,  like  Artemus 
Ward,  make  it  the  sole  object,  —  there  is  a  large  amount 
of  keen  common-sense  in  his  "  A  Yankee  in  King  Arthur's 
Court,"  and  there  is  also  in  it  an  open-mindedness  to  the 
newest  currents  of  thought  that  proves  the  author  to  be  one 
of  the  most  wide-awake  men  of  the  day.  "  Innocents 
Abroad,"  "The  Prince  and  the  Pauper,"  "Roughing  It," 
etc.,  are  very  amusing  books,  the  only  drawback  being  that 
the  reader  is  sometimes  conscious  of  an  effort  to  be  funny. 
(U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

253.  Charles  Dudley  Warner's  "In  the  Wilderness"  gives 
some  exceedingly  amusing  sketches  of  backwoods  life.  See 
also  other  books  mentioned  under  the  head  of  Fiction.  (U.  S., 
19th  cent.) 

254.  S.  K.  Edwards'  "Two  Runaways,  and  Other  Stories  " 
is  a  book  that  no  lover  of  humor  can  afford  to  be  without. 
(U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

255.  E.  E.  Hale's  "My  Double,  and  How  He  Undid 
Me,"  and  other  stories  contain  much  innocent  recreation. 
(U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

256.  Nasby's  "  Ekoes  from  Kentucky"  and  "  Swingin' 
round  the  Circle  "  are  full  of  the  keenest  political  sarcasm. 
Lincoln  was  so  impressed  with  Nasby's  power,  that  he  said 


FABLES   AND   FAIRY  TALES.  7 1 

he  had  rather  possess  such  gifts  than  be  President  of  the 
United  States.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

257.  "  Artemus  Ward  His  Book,"  is  funny,  but  lacks  pur- 
pose beyond  the  raising  of  a  laugh.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

258.  "Caudle  Lectures/'  "Catspaw,"  etc.  Jerrold  is  one 
of  the  sharpest  of  wits.      (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

259.  Voltaire  was  the  IngersoU  of  France,  only  more  so. 
His  "  Dictionnaire "  is  full  of  stinging  sarcasm  and  fierce 
wit.      (France,  i8th  cent.) 

"  English  Bards  and  Scotch  Reviewers."  The  sharpest 
edge  of  Byron's  keen  mind.     (Eng.,  1788-1824.) 

260.  ''  Hudibras."  A  tirade  against  the  Puritans.  (Eng., 
17th  cent.) 

"Gulliver's  Travels,"  "Tale  of  a  Tub,"  etc.  Coarse  rail- 
lery.    (Eng.,  1 8th  cent.) 

261.  "Gargantua  and  Pantagruel."  Immense  coarse  wit. 
(France,  i6th  cent.) 

"  Tristram  Shandy."  Not  delicate,  but  full  of  humor. 
(Eng.,  1 8th  cent.) 

262.  Juvenal  is  one  of  the  world's  greatest  satirists. 
(Rome,  ist  cent.) 

Lucian  is  the  Voltaire  of  the  Old  World.  In  his  "Dia- 
logues of  the  Gods  "  he  covers  with  ridicule  the  religious 
notions  of  the  people.     (Greek  Lit,  2d  cent.  a.  d.) 


FABLES  AND  FAIRY  TALES. 

Fables  and  fairy  tales  are  condensed  dramas,  and 
some  of  them  are  crystal  drops  from  the  fountains  of 
poetic  thought.  Often  they  express  in  picture  lan- 
guage the  deepest  lessons  that  mankind  have  learned  ; 


72  REMARKS   ON   TABLE  I. 

and  one  who  wishes  to  gather  to  himself  the  intellect- 
ual wealth  of  the  nations  must  not  neglect  them.  In 
the  section  of  the  book  devoted  to  remarks  upon  the 
Guidance  of  Children,  the  literature  of  this  subject 
receives  more  extended  attention.  Among  the  books 
that  will  most  interest  the  student  of  this  subject  may 
be  mentioned  the  works  of  Fiske  and  Bulfinch,  named 
below,  Baldwin's  **  Story  of  the  Golden  Age,"  Rago- 
zin's  **  Chaldea,"  Kingsley's  **  Greek  Heroes,"  Cox's 
"  Tales  of  Ancient  Greece,"  Hanson's  "  Stories  of 
Charlemagne,"  Church's  "  Story  of  the  Iliad  "  and 
"  Story  of  the  ^neid,"  and  the  books  mentioned  in 
connection  with  the  "  Morte  D'Arthur,"  note  323 
following :  — 

263.  "Fairy  Tales,"  "Shoes  of  Fortune,"  etc.  (Den- 
mark, 19th  cent.) 

264.  The  inimitable  French  poet  of  Fable.  (France, 
1 7th  cent.) 

265.  The  world-famous  Greek  fabulist.  His  popularity 
in  all  ages  has  been  unbounded.  Socrates  amused  himself 
with  his  stories.      (Greece,  6th  cent.  b.  c.) 

266.  "  Household  Tales."     (Ger.,  earty  19th  cent.) 

267.  "Reineke  Fox."  (Bohn  Lib.)  (Ger.,  early  19th 
cent.) 

Kipling's  "Indian  Tales."      (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

268.  "Age  of  Fable,"  "Age  of  Chivalry,"  etc.  (Eng., 
19th  cent.) 

269.  Fables  in  his  poems.      (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

270.  A  French  fabulist,  next  in  fame  to  La  Fontaine. 
(i8th  cent.) 


TRAVEL.  73 

271.  Greek  Fables.      (About  com.  Christ,  era.) 

272.  ''Tales."      (Ger.,  19th  cent.) 

273.  "Metamorphoses."  An  account  of  the  mythology 
of  the  ancients.  Ovid  was  one  of  Rome's  greatest  poets. 
(Rome,  ist  cent.  b.  c.) 

Curtin's  "  Myths  and  Folk-Lore   of  Ireland,"  "  Myths  and 
Folk-Tales  of  the  Russians,"  etc.      (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 
Fiske's  "  Myths  and  Myth  Makers."      (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 


TRAVEL. 

Nothing  favors  breadth  more  than  travel  and  con- 
tact with  those  of  differing  modes  of  life  and  variant 
belief.  The  tolerance  and  sympathy  that  are  folding 
in  the  world  in  these  modern  days  owe  much  to  the 
vast  increase  of  travel  that  has  resulted  from  growth 
of  commerce,  the  development  of  wealth,  and  the 
cheapness  and  rapidity  of  steam  transportation.  Even 
a  wider  view  of  the  world  comes  to  us  through  the  lit- 
erature of  travel  than  we  could  ever  gain  by  personal 
experience,  however  much  of  wealth  and  time  we 
had  at  our  disposal ;  and  though  the  vividness  is  less 
in  each  particular  picture  of  the  written  page  than 
if  we  saw  the  full  original  reality  that  is  painted  for 
us,  yet  this  is  more  than  compensated  by  the  breadth 
and  insight  and  perception  of  the  meaning  of  the 
scenes  portrayed,  which  we  can  take  at  once  from 
the  writer,  to  whom  perhaps  the  gaining  of  what  he 
gives  so  easily  has  been  a  very  costly,  tedious  pro- 
cess,  and  would  be  so  to  us  if  we   had  to   rely  on 


74  REMARKS    ON  TABLE   I. 

personal  observation.  Voyages  and  travels  there- 
fore are  of  much  importance  in  our  studies,  and 
delightful  reading  too.  Stanley's  opinions  have 
been  much  relied  on  in  selecting  the  following 
books : — 

274.  Voyages.      (Eng.,  i8th  cent.) 

275.  Cosmos;  Travels.     (Ger.,  1762-1832.) 

276.  Naturalist  on  the  Beagle.      (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

277.  Travels.     (Venice,  14th  cent.) 

278.  Arctic  Explorations.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

279.  South  Africa.     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

280.  Through  the  Dark  Continent;  In  Darkest  Africa. 
(U.  S.,  T9th  cent.) 

281.  Travels  in  Africa.     (France,  19th  cent.) 

282.  On  Egypt.      (Germany,  19th  cent.) 

283.  Abyssinia.     (Eng.,  19th  cent.) 

284.  India. 

285.  Niger. 

286.  South  America. 

287.  Upper  Niger. 

288.  Persia. 

289.  Central  Africa. 

290.  West  Coast  of  Africa. 

291.  Travelled  for  thirty  years,  then  wrote  the  marvels  he 
had  seen  and  heard ;  and  his  book  became  very  popular  in 
the  14th  and  15th  centuries.     (Eng.,  14th  cent.) 

292.  The  Nile. 


GUIDES.  75 


GUIDES. 

In  this  column  of ''  Guides  "  are  placed  books  that 
will  be  useful  in  arriving  at  a  fuller  knowledge  of  lit- 
erature and  authors,  in  determining  what  to  read,  and 
in  our  own  literary  efforts. 

293.  "What  to  Read  on  the  Subject  of  Reading,"  by 
William  E.  Foster,  Librarian  of  the  Providence  Public  Library. 
Every  one  who  is  interested  in  books  should  keep  an  eye 
on  this  thorough  and  enthusiastic  worker,  and  take  advantage 
of  the  information  he  lavishes  in  his  bulletins. 

294.  The  "  Pall  Mall  Extra,"  containing  Sir  John  Lub- 
bock's "  List  of  the  Best  Hundred  Books,"  and  letters  from 
many  distinguished  men. 

295.  English  Literature. 

296.  EngHsh  Literature. 

297.  *' English  Literature."  The  most  philosophic  work 
on  the  subject ;  but  it  is  difficult,  and  requires  a  previous 
knowledge  of  the  principal  English  authors. 

298.  Handbook  of  Universal  Literature. 

299.  Dictionary  of  Authors. 

300.  Bartlett's  "  Familiar  Quotations  "  is  one  of  the  most 
famous  and  valuable  of  books. 

301.  "  Edge-Tools  of  Speech."  Brief  quotations  arranged 
under  heads  such  as  Books,  Government,  Love,  etc. 

302.  "Library  of  Poetry  and  Song;"  but  for  the  gen- 
eral reader  Palgrave's  exquisite  little  "  Golden  Treasury  "  is 
better. 

303.  "  Primer  of  English  Literature."  The  best  very 
brief  book  on  the  subject. 


^6  REMARKS    ON  TABLE   I. 

304.  Bibliographical  Aids. 

305.  "  Motive  and  Habit  of  Reading." 

306.  "  Choice  of  Books." 

307.  "  Sesame  and  Lihes." 

308.  "  The  Love  of  Books." 
•509.  "  History  of  Prose  Fiction." 

Baldwin's  "  Book  Lover"  is  valuable  for  its  lists  of  books 
bearing  on  special  topics.    . 

C.  K.  Adams'  "  Manual  of  Historical  Literature "  is  in- 
valuable to  the  student  of  history.  There  ought  to  be  sim- 
ilar books  relating  to  Philosophy,  Fiction,  Science,  etc. 


MISCELLANEOUS. 

In  the  column  **  Miscellaneous "  are  placed  a 
number  of  books  which  should  be  at  least  glanced 
through  to  open  the  doors  of  thought  on  all  sides 
and  to  take  such  account  of  their  riches  as  will  place 
them  at  command  when  needed. 

310.  One  of  the  noblest  little  books  in  existence  ;  to  read 
it  is  to  pour  into  the  life  and  character  the  inspiration  of 
hundreds  of  the  best  and  most  successful  lives.  Every 
page  should  be  carefully  read  and  digested.  (U.  S.,  19th 
cent.) 

31 1.  An  exquisite  book;  one  of  Robert  Collyer's  early 
favorites.    Put  its  beauty  in  your  heart.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent.) 

312.  A  book  that  should  be  read  for  its  breadth.  (Eng., 
early  17th  cent.) 

313.  Edward  Bellamy's  ''Looking  Backward"  is  one  of 
the  same  class  of  books  to  which  Bacon's  "  New  Atlantis," 


MISCELLANEOUS.  'J'J 

More's  "  Utopia,"  etc.,  belong,  and  may  be  read  with  much 
pleasure  and  profit  along  with  them.  It  is  really  a  looking 
forward  to  an  ideal  commonwealth,  in  which  the  labor 
troubles  and  despotisms  of  to-day  shall  be  adjusted  on  the 
same  principle  as  the  political  troubles  and  despotisms  of 
the  last  century  were  settled  ;  namely,  the  principle  that  each 
citizen  shall  be  industrially  the  equal  of  every  other,  as  all 
are  now  political  equals.  It  is  a  very  famous  book,  and  has 
been  called  the  greatest  book  of  the  century,  which,  happily 
for  the  immortality  of  Spencer  and  Darwin,  Carlyle  and  Rus- 
kin,  Parkman  and  Bancroft,  Guizot  and  Bryce,  Goethe  and 
Hugo,  Byron  and  Burns,  Scott  and  Tennyson,  Whittier  and 
Lowell,  Bulvver  and  Thackeray,  Dickens  and  Eliot,  is  only 
the  judgment  of  personal  friendship  and  blissful  ignorance. 
But  while  the  book  cannot  feel  at  home  in  the  society  of  the 
great,  it  is  nevertheless  a  very  entertaining  story,  and  one 
vastly  stimulative  of  thought.  The  idea  of  a  coming  indus- 
trial democracy,  bearing  more  or  less  analogy  to  the  political 
democracy,  the  triumph  of  which  we  have  seen,  is  one  that 
has  probably  occurred  to  every  thoughtful  person ;  and  in 
Bellamy's  book  may  be  found  an  ingenious  expansion  of  the 
idea  much  preferable  to  the  ordinary  socialistic  plans  of  the 
day,  though  not  wholly  free  from  the  injustice  that  inheres 
in  all  social  schemes  that  do  not  aim  to  secure  to  each  man 
the  wealth  or  other  advantage  that  his  lawful  efforts  naturally 
produce.     (U.  S.,  19th  cent  ) 

314.  Everywhere  a  favorite.  It  opens  up  wide  regions  of 
imagination.  Ruskin  says  he  read  it  many  times  when  he 
might  have  been  better  employed,  and  crosses  it  from  his 
list.  But  the  very  fact  that  he  read  the  book  so  often  shows 
that  even  his  deep  mind  found  irresistible  attraction  in  it. 
(First  introduced  into  Europe  in  17th  cent.) 


yS  REMARKS    ON   TABLE   I. 

315.  The  most  colossal  lies  known  to  science.  (Ger., 
1 8th  cent.) 

316.  The  poem  of  "  Beowulf"  should  be  looked  into  by  all 
who  wish  to  know  the  character  of  the  men  from  whom  we 
sprang,  and  therefore  realize  the  basic  elements  of  our  own 
character.     (Eng.,  early  Saxon  times.) 

3 1  7.  Should  be  glanced  at  for  the  light  it  throws  on  Eng- 
lish history  and  development.      (9th-i2th  cents.) 

318.  Froissart's  "Chronicles"  constitute  a  graphic  story 
of  the  States  of  Europe  from  1322  to  the  end  of  the  14th 
century.  Scott  said  that  Froissart  was  his  master.  Breadth 
demands  at  least  a  glance  at  the  old  itinerant  tale-gatherer. 
Note  especially  the  great  rally  of  the  rebels  of  Ghent. 

319.  This  masterpiece  of  Old  German  Minstrelsy  is  too 
much  neglected  by  us.  Read  it  with  the  three  preceding. 
(Early  German.) 

320.  Sd^a  means  "tale"  or  " narrative,"  and  is  applied 
in  Iceland  to  every  kind  of  tradition,  true  or  fabulous.  Read 
the  "  Heimskringla,"  Njal's  Saga,  and  Grettir's  Saga.  (9th- 
13th  cents.) 

321.  Along  with  the  last  should  be  read  the  poems  of 
the  elder  Edda.  (Compiled  by  Samund  the  Wise,  12th 
cent.) 

322.  The  epic  of  Spain,  containing  a  wonderful  account 
of  the  prowess  of  a  great  leader  and  chief.  (Spain,  before 
the  13th  cent.) 

323.  A  collection  of  fragments  about  the  famous  King 
Arthur  and  his  Round  Table.  They  crop  out  in  every  age  of 
English  literature.  Read  the  book  with  Tennyson's  "  Idylls 
of   the    King,"  —  a    poem    inspired   by    Malory's    "  Morte 


MISCELLANEOUS.  79 

D'Arthur,"  —  Cervantes'  "  Don  Quixote,"  and  Twain's  "  Yan- 
kee in  the  Court  of  King  Arthur,"  Lanier's  "  Boy's  King 
Arthur,"  Ritson's  "  Ancient  English  Metrical  Romances," 
Ellis'  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  the  same,  Preston's 
"Troubadours  and  Trouveres,"  Sismondi's  "Literature  of 
Southern  Europe,"  Chapon's  "Troubadours,"  and  Van 
Laun's  "  History  of  French  Literature "  may  be  referred 
to  with  advantage  by  the  student  of  Malory. 

324.  A  collection  of  Chinese  odes. 

325.  This  and  the  last  are  recommended,  not  for  intrinsic 
merit,  but  for  breadth,  and  to  open  the  way  to  an  under- 
standing of  and  sympathy  with  four  hundred  millions  of 
mankind  who  hold  these  books  in  profound  veneration. 
(China,  as  early  as  5th  cent.   b.  c.) 

326.  This  is  the  Bible  of  the  Sufis  of  Persia,  one  of  the 
manifestations  of  that  great  spirit  of  mysticism  which  flows 
like  a  great  current  through  the  world's  history,  side  by  side 
with  the  stream  of  Rationalism.  It  found  certain  outlets 
in  Schelling,  Swedenborg,  Emerson,  etc.,  and  is  bubbling 
up  even  now  through  the  strata  of  worldliness  in  the  United 
States  in  the  shape  of  Theosophy.      (7th  cent.) 

327.  Read  Saint  Hilaire's  "  Buddha  "  and  Arnold's  "  Light 
of  Asia."     They  will  open  great  regions  of  thought. 

328.  329.  These  are  epitomized  by  Talboys  Wheeler  in 
his  "  History  of  India."  Very  interesting  and  broadening. 
(Very  ancient.) 

330-332.  Not  valuable  reading  intrinsically,  but  as  open- 
mg  the  doors  of  communication  with  the  minds  and  hearts 
of  whole  races  of  men,  most  useful.  The  Vedas  are  the 
Bible  of  the  Hindus,  and  contain  the  revelation  of  Brahma 
(15th  cent.).  The  Koran  is  the  Mohammedan  Bible  (6th 
cent.).     The  Talmud  belongs  to  the   Rabbinical  literature 


8o  REMARKS    ON   TABLE   I. 

of  the  Jews,  and   is  a  collection   of  Jewish  traditions    (3d 
cent.). 

333.  The  works  of  Hooker,  Swedenborg,  Newton,  Kepler, 
Copernicus,  Laplace,  should  be  actually  handled  and  glanced 
through  to  form  a  nucleus  of  experience,  around  which 
may  gather  a  little  knowledge  of  these  famous  men  and 
what  they  did.  This  remark  applies  with  more  or  less  of 
force  to  all  the  names  on  the  second  shelf.  Few  can  hope 
to  7'ead  all  these  books,  but  it  is  practicable  by  means  of 
general  works,  such  as  those  mentioned  in  Column  13,  to 
gain  an  idea  of  each  man,  his  character  and  work ;  and 
there  is  no  better  way  to  put  a  hook  in  the  memory  on 
which  such  knowledge  of  an  author  may  be  securely  kept, 
than  to  take  his  book  in  your  hands,  note  its  size  and  pecul- 
iarities (visual  and  tactual  impressions  are  more  easily  remem- 
bered than  others  as  a  rule),  glance  through  its  contents, 
and  read  a  passage  or  two. 


SHORT   COURSES. 

When  the  reader  has  a  special  purpose  in  view,  it  is  of 
the  greatest  advantage  to  arrange  in  systematic  order  the 
books  that  will  be  most  helpful  in  the   accomplishment  of 
his  purpose,  study  them  one   after  the  other,  mark  them, 
compare  them,  make  cross  references  from  one  to  another, 
digest  and  assimilate  the  vital  portions  of  each,  and  seek  to 
obtain  a  mastery  of  all  that  the  best  minds  of  the  past  have 
given  us  in  reference  to   the  object  of  his  effort.     For  ex- 
ample :  a  person  who  has  devoted  himself  exclusively  to  one 
line  of  ideas  will  be  greatly  benefited  by  reading  a  short 
course  of  books  that  will  give  him  a  glimpse  of  each  of  the 
great  fields  of  thought.     One  who  is  lacking  in  humor  should 
get  a  good  list  of  fine  humorous  works  and  devote  himself  to 
them,  and  to  the  society  of  fun-loving  people,  until  he  can 
see  and  enjoy  a  good  joke  as  keenly  as  they  do,  —  not  only  to 
quicken  his  perception  cf  humor,  but  that  the  organ  of  fun 
(the  gland   that    secretes  wit    and   humor)  may  be  roused 
into  normal  activity.     Again,  if  a  gentleman   finds  that  he 
does  not  appreciate  Shakspeare,  Dante,  Irving,  etc.,  as  he 
sees   or   is   told  that  literary  people  do ;   if  he  prefers  his 
newspaper  to  the  English  classics  as  a  source  of  pleasure 
and  profit;    if  he  sees  little   difference  between  Tennyson 
and  Tupper,  enjoys  Bill  Nye  as  much  or  more  than  Holmes, 
and  is  able  to  compare  the  verses  he  writes  to  his  sweetheart 
with  Milton  without  any  very  distinct  feeling  except  perhaps 
a  disgust  for  Milton,  —  if  any  of  these  things  are  true,  he  has 
need  of  a  course  to  develop  a  literary  taste. 

In  the  three  tables  following  will  be  found  a  suggestion  of 
several  important  short  courses,  and  others  will  be  found  on 
page  122,  et  seq. 


TABLE   II. 

A  SHORT  special  course,  to  gather  ideas  of  practical 
importance  to  every  life,  and  to  make  a  beginning  in 
the  gaining  of  that  breadth  of  mind  which,  is  of  such 
vital  value  by  reason  of  its  influence  on  morals  and 
the  aid  it  gives  in  the  attainment  of  truth. 

1.  Physiology  and  Hygiene.  Read  and  digest  the  best 
books.     See  Table  I.  Col.  3. 

2.  "Our  Country,"  by  Strong;  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  ;  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  Wash- 
ington's Farewell.     (All  m.  R.  D.) 

3.  Mill's  Logic  ;  at  any  rate,  the  Canons  of  Induction  and 
the  Chapter  on  Fallacies,     (m.  R.  D.  C.  G.) 

4.  Smiles's  "  Self-Help."     (m.  R.  D.) 

5.  Wood's  books  on  Natural  History ;  especially  his  an- 
ecdotes of  animals,  and  evidences  of  mind,  etc.,  in  animals 
(e.  R.  D.).  Proctor's  books  on  Astronomy,  "  Other  Worlds 
than  Ours,"  etc.  (e.  R.  G.).  Lubbock's  "  Primitive  Condition 
of  Man  "  (m.  R.).  Dawson's  "  Chain  of  Life  "  (m.  R.).  In 
some  good  brief  way,  as  by  using  the  "  Encyclopaedia  Bri- 
tannica,"  read  about  Copernicus,  Galileo,  Kepler,  Newton, 
Darwin,  Herschel,  Lyell,  Harvey,  and  Torricelli. 

6.  Spencer's  ''  First  Principles."     (d.  R.  D.  G.) 

7.  Green's  "  Short  History  of  the  English  People  "  (m.  R. 
D.G.).  Bancroft's  "  History  of  the  United  States"  (m.  R. 
D.  G).     Guizot's  "  History  of  Civilization  "  (m.  R.  D.  G.). 


TABLE   II.  83 

8.  Max  Miiller's  philological  works,  or  some  of  them 
(m.  R.).     Taylor's  "Words  and  Places"  (m.  R.). 

9.  In  some  public  library,  if  the  books  are  not  accessible 
elsewhere,  get  into  your  hands  the  books  named  in  Columns 
12  and  13  of  Table  I.,  and  not  already  spoken  of  in  this 
table,  and  glance  through  each,  reading  a  little  here  and 
there  to  make  a  rapid  survey  of  the  ground,  acquire  some 
idea  of  it,  and  note  the  places  where  it  may  seem  to  you 
worth  while  to  dig  for  gold. 


TABLE   III. 

A  SHORT  course  of  the  choicest  selections  from  the 
whole  field  of  general  literature.  It  may  easily  be 
read  through  in  a  year,  and  will  form  a  taste  and 
provide  a  standard  that  will  enable  the  reader  ever 
after  to  judge  for  himself  of  the  quality  and  value  of 
whatever  books  may  come  before  the  senate  of  his 
soul  to  ask  for  an  appropriation  of  his  time  in  their 
behalf. 

Very  few  books  are  requisite  for  this  course,  but 
it  will  awaken  a  desire  that  will  demand  a  library  of 
standard  literature.  No.  i.  No.  2,  etc.,  refer  to  the 
numbers  of  the  ''  lOO  Choice  Selections."  Monroe's 
''  Sixth  Reader"  and  Palgrave's  "Golden  Treasury" 
are  also  referred  to,  because  they  contain  a  great 
number  of  these  gems,  and  are  books  likely  to  be  in 
the  possession  of  the  reader. 

For  the  meaning  of  the  other  abbreviations,  see  the 
last  section  of  the  Introductory  Remarks. 


TABLE   III. 


85 


Group  I.  —  Poetry. 


'o  >< 

Manner 

2:  cj 

of 

Where  found. 

^% 

Reading. 

PQ 

I.  Shakspeare. 

Hamlet,  especially  noting  Hamlet's 

Shakspeare's 

conversations  with  the  Ghost,  with 

Plays  are  pub- 

his mother  and  Ophelia,  his  advice 

lished  separately. 

to  the  players, his  soliloquy, and  his 

and  also  together. 

discourse  on  the  nobleness  of  man 

d. 

R.D.C.G. 

Richard  Grant 

Merchant  of  Venice,  especially  not- 

White's edition 

ing   the   scene   in  court,  and  the 

being  the  best. 

parts  relating  to  Portia  .... 

e. 

R.D.C.G. 

Julius  Caesar,  especially  noting  the 

speechesof  BrutusandAntony,and 

the  quarrel  of  Brutus  and  Cassius 

m. 

R.D.C.G. 

Taming  of  the  Shrew 

e. 

R.G. 

Henry  the  Eighth 

m. 

R.D. 

Henry  the  Fourth,  read  for  the  wit 

of  Falstaff 

m. 

R.D. 

Henry  the  Fifth,  noting  especially 

the  wooing 

m. 

R.D. 

Coriolanus,    noting     especially    the 

grand  fire  and  force  and  frankness 

of  Coriolanus 

m. 

R.D.C.G. 

Sonnets  in  Palgrave's  Golden  Treas- 

ury, Nos.  3,6,  II,  12,  13,   14,   18, 

36,46 

m. 

R.D.C. 

2.  Milton. 

The  Opening  of  the  Gates  of  Hell, 

one  of  the  sublimest  conceptions 

in   literature.      It  is  in  Paradise 

Lost,  about  six  pages   from   the 

end  of  Book  H.     Read  sixty  lines 

beginning,  "  Thus  saying,  from  her 

side  the  fatal  key,  Sad  instrument 

of  all  our  woe" 

d. 

R.D.G. 

Milton's  Poems. 

Satan's  Throne,  ten  lines  at  the  be- 

ginning of  Book  n 

m. 

R.D.G. 

Opening  of  Paradise  Lost,  26  lines 

at  the  beginning  of  Book  I. 

m. 

R.D.G. 

The  Angels  uprooting  the  Mountains 

and  hurling  them  on  the   Rebels. 

Fifty   lines   beginning   about   the 

640th  line  of  Book  VL,  "  So  they 

in  pleasant  vein,"  etc 

m. 

R.D.G. 

"  Hail,  Holy  LiiTht,"  fifty-five  lines 

at  the  beginning  of  Book  IH.  .     . 

m. 

R.D.G. 

86 


POETRY. 


Group  I.  coiitinued.  —  Poetry. 


^>^ 

Manner 

^  5 

of 

Where  found. 

Reading. 

r^   -^ 

Milton.  —  Contimied. 

Comus,  a  masque,  and  one  of  the 

masterpieces  of  English  literature 

d. 

R.D.C.G. 

Milton's  Poems. 

L'  Allegro,  a  short  poem  on  mirth   . 

d. 

R.D.C.G. 

The  last  three  of 

11  Penseroso,  a  short  poem  on  mel- 

this list  are  in 

ancholy    

d. 

R.D.C.G. 

Palgrave. 

Lycidas,  a  celebrated  elegy     .     .     . 

d. 

R.G. 

3.  Homer. 

Homer  has  had 

Pope's    translation.     At    least    the 

many  tran>lators. 

first  book  of  the  Iliad.     A  simple, 

Pope,  Derby, 

clear  story  of  battles  and  quarrels, 

Worsley,  Chap- 

loves and  counsels,  charming  in  its 

man,  Flaxman, 

sublimity,  pathos,  vigor,  and  natu- 

Lang, Bryant,  etc. 

ralness.    The  world's  greatest  epic 

e. 

R.D.C.G. 

4.  iEsCHYLUS. 

Potter,  Morshead, 

Prometheus  Bound,  the  sublimest  of 

Swanwick,  Mil- 

the   sublime.     Be   sure   to    reach 

man,  and  Brown- 

and grasp  the  grand  picture  of  the 

ing  have  translated 

human  race  and  its  troubles  which 

iEschylus.    The 

underlies   this    most    magnificent 

first  two  are  the 

poem 

d. 

R.D.C.G. 

best.    Flaxman's 

Agamemnon,  the  grandest   tragedy 

designs  add  much. 

in  the  world 

m. 

R.D.G. 

5.  Dante. 

Divine  Comedy.     Read  Farrar's  lit- 

Translated by 

tle    Life  of    Dante  (John   Alden, 

Longfellow, 

N.  Y.),  and  then  take  the  Comedy 

Carey,  fohn  Car- 

and   read   the    thirty-third   canto, 

lyle,  Butler,  and 

the  portions  relating  to  the  Hells 

Dean  Church. 

of  Incontinence  and  of  Fraud,  the 

picture  of  Satan,  and  the  whole  of 

the  Purgatorio 

d. 

R.D.G. 

6.  Spenser. 

Faerie  Queen,  noting  specially  the 

first  bock  and  the  book  of  13rito- 

mart,    endeavoring    to  grasp  and 

apply  to  your  own  life  the  truths 

tliat  underlie  the  rich  and  beautiful 

imagery 

d. 

R.D.G. 

Spenser's  Poems. 

Hymn  in  Honor  of  his  own  Wedding 

d. 

R.D.G. 

The  Calendar  is 

Fable  of  the  Oak  and  the  Briar,  in 

published  sepa- 

Shepherd's Calendar,  February     . 

m. 

R. 

rately. 

7.  Scott. 

Lady  of  the  Lake 

e. 

R. 

Scott's  Poems, 

Marmion 

e. 

R. 

or  separate. 

TABLE   III. 


87 


Group  II.  —  Short  Poetical  Select io?ts. 


Manner 

of 
Reading. 

Where  found. 

10.  Payne. 

Home,  Sweet  Home 

Longfellow. 

Psalm  of  Life.     Paul  Revere's  Ride 

The  Building  of  llie  Ship      .     .     . 

(These  may  be  found  in  most  of 

the  reading-books.) 

Suspiria,  and  the  close  of  Morituri 

Salutamus 

e. 

e. 
e. 
m. 

c. 

R.D.C. 
R. 

R.D. 
R.D. 

R.D. 

R.D. 

R.D. 

R.D  C. 
R.D. 
R.D. 
R.D. 

R.D. 

R.D. 

R  D. 
R.D. 

R.D. 
R.D. 
R.D. 
R.D. 
R.D. 
R.D. 
R.D. 
R.D. 
R.D. 

R.D. 
R.D. 

Longfellow's 
Poems. 

Autocrat  of  the 
Breakfast-Table. 

Monroe. 
Palgrave,  87. 

"        147. 

"        159. 
''        140. 
"        123. 

No.  4. 

Poems  of 

H.  H.  Jackson. 

Palgrave,  231. 
No.  2. 

Palgrave,  139. 

144. 

"         148. 

149. 

155. 

-         156. 

Burns's  Poems. 

Palgrave,  225. 
Irish  Melodies, 

Holmes. 

Nautilus;  the  last  stanza  commit  . 

The  Stars   and    Flowers,  a  lovely 
little  poem,  —  the  first  verses  in 
the  Au;ocrat  of   the    Breakfast- 
Table     

m. 
e. 

Hunt. 
Abou  Ben  Adhem 

e. 

Carew^. 
The  True  Beauty 

e. 

Gray. 

Elegy  in  a  Country  Churchj-ard 

Hymn  to  Adversity 

Progress  of  Poesy 

The  Bard 

m. 
m. 
m. 
m. 

Saxe. 

The  Blind  Men  and  the  Elephant 
Jackson. 

The  Release 

e. 

m. 

II.  Hood. 

Bridge  of  Sighs 

m. 

Song  of  the  Sliirt 

e. 

Burns. 
Ye  Banks  and  Braes  0'  Bonnie  Doon 
To  a  Field-mouse 

e. 
e. 

Mary  Morrison 

e. 

Bonnie  Lesley 

e. 

Jean 

e. 

John  Anderson 

e. 

A  Man  's  a  Man  for  a'  that  .     .     . 
Auld  Lang  Syne 

e. 
e. 

Robert  Bruce's  Address  to  his  Army 
Moore. 
The  Light  of  other  Days  .... 
Come  rest  in  this  Bosom       .     .     . 

e. 

e. 
e. 

88 


SHORT    POETICAL   SELECTIONS. 


Group  IL  continued.  —  Short  Poetical  Selections. 


Manner 

^3 

of 

Where  found. 

^.^ 

Reading. 

Q^ 

Moore.  —  Continued. 

At  the  Mid  Hour  of  Night    .     .     . 

e. 

R.D. 

Irish  Melodies. 

Those  Evening  Bells 

e. 

R.D. 

Monroe. 

Coleridge 

Rime  of  the  Ancient  Mariner     , 

d.  " 

R.D.G. 

Coleridge's 

Kiibla    Khan ;    a    Picture   of    the 

Poems. 

Stream  of  Life 

d. 

R.D.G. 
R. 

Monroe. 

Vale  of  Chamouni 

e. 

Whittier. 

The  Farmer's  Wooing,  in  Among 

the  Hills 

m. 

R.D.C. 

Whittier's  Poems. 

The    Harp    at    Nature's    Advent 

Strung,    etc.,   in    Tent    on    the 

Beach 

m. 

R.D.C. 

Snow    Bound,    Centennial     Hymn 

(No.  13),  and  at  least  glance  at 

his  Voices  of  Freedom  .... 

m. 

R.D.C. 

Barefoot  Boy 

e. 

R.D.C. 

Tennyson. 

"  Break,  break,  break,  on  thy  cold 

gray  Stones,  O  Sea  "      .... 

m. 

R.D.C. 

Tennyson's 

"  Ring  out,  wild  Bells,"  in  the   In 

Poems. 

Memoriam 

m. 

R.D.C. 

Bugle  Song,  in  The  Princ;ess     .     . 

m. 

R.D.C. 

No.  2. 

Charge  of  the  Light  Brigade      .     . 

e. 

R.D.C. 

No.  2. 

The  Brook 

e. 

R.D.C. 

Monroe. 

Chaucer. 

The  Clerk's  Tale,  or  the  Story  of 

Grisilde,     in      the     Canterbury 

Tales 

m. 

R. 

Chaucer's  Poems. 

12.  Key. 

The  Star-Spangled  Banner    .     .     . 

e. 

C. 

No.  4. 

Drake. 

The  American  Flag 

e. 

R. 

No.  I. 

Smith. 

"  My  Country,  't  is  of  thee  "... 

e. 

C. 

BOKER. 

The  Black  Regiment 

e. 

R. 

No.  I. 

Campbell,  full  of  fire  and  martial 

music. 

Ye  Mariners  of  England  .... 

m. 

R.D.C. 

Palgrave,  206, 

Battle  of  the  Baltic 

m. 

R.C. 

"         207. 

Soldier's  Dream 

m. 

R.C. 

♦'         267. 

Hohenlinden 

m. 

R.C. 
R.C. 

"         215. 
"         181. 

Lord  Ullin's  Daughter     .... 

m. 

Love's  Beginning 

m. 

R.C. 

"         183. 

Ode  to  Winter 

m. 

R.C. 

256. 

TABLE   III. 


89 


Group  II.  contmited.  —  Short  Poetical  Selections. 


"oi. 

Manner 

§1 

of 

Where  found. 

Sf.^ 

Reading. 

CQ 

Thomson. 

Rule  Britannia 

m. 

R.C. 

Palgrave,  122. 

Lowell. 

The  Crisis 

d. 

R.D.C. G. 

Lowell's  Poems. 

Harvard  Commemoration  Ode  ,     . 

d. 

R.D.C. G. 

The  Fountain 

e. 

R.D.C.G. 

Halleck. 

Marco  Bozzaris 

e. 

R. 

No.  I. 

Macaulay. 

Lays  of  Ancient  Rome,  especially 

Horatius,  and  Virginia,  also  the 

e. 

R.D. 

No.  2. 

Battle  of  Ivry 

m. 

R.D. 

No.  5. 

O'Hara. 

The  Bivouac  of  the  Dead      .     .     . 

MiTFORD. 

Rienzi's  Address 

m. 

R. 

No.  I. 

Croly. 

Belshazzar 

m. 

R. 

No.  4. 
Shelley's  Poems. 

13.  Shelley. 

Ode  to  the  West  Wind     .... 

m. 

R.D.C. 

Palgrave.  275. 

Ode  to  a  Skylark 

m. 

R.D.C. 

"       ■  241. 

To  a  Lady  with  a  Guitar       .     .     . 

m. 

R.D.C. 

"         252. 

Italy 

m. 

R.D.C. 

274. 

Naples 

m. 

R.D.C. 

"         227. 

The  Poet's  Dream 

d. 

R.D.C. 
R.D.C. 

"         277. 

The  Cloud,  Sensitive  Plant,  etc.     . 

m. 

Byron. 

Byron's  Poems. 

All  for  Love 

m. 

R.D. 
R.D. 

Pali^rave,  169. 
171. 

Beauty 

m. 

Apostrophe  to  the  Ocean,  and  The 

Eve  of  Waterloo 

m. 

R.D.C. 

Monroe. 

The  Field  of  Waterloo     .... 

m. 

R.D.C. 

No.  I. 

(These  are  among  the  most  mag- 

nificent poems  in  any  language. ) 

Bryant. 

Thanatopsis 

m. 

R.C.G. 

No.  I. 

Prentice. 

The  Closing  Year 

m. 

R.C.G. 

No.  I. 

Foe. 

The  Bells  ;  The  Raven    .... 

m. 

R.C.G. 

No.  r. 

Annabel  Lee 

m. 

R. 

No.  5. 
Keats's  Poems. 

Keats. 

The  Star 

m. 

R. 

Palgrave,  198. 
244. 

Ods  to  a  Nightingale 

m. 

R. 

Ode  to  Autumn 

m. 

R. 
R. 

"      III 

Ode  on  the  Poets 

m. 

90         SHORT  POETICAL  SELECTIONS. 

* 
Group  IL  contimied.  —  Short  Poetical  Selections. 


^ 

0  > 

4J  "^ 

Manner 

't  0 

of 

Where  found. 

S-^ 

Reading. 

ac 

Wordsworth. 

A  Beautiful  Woman    .     .     .     .     , 

e. 

R.C. 

Palgrave,  1 74. 

The  Reaper 

m. 

R. 

250. 
"         219. 
"         367. 

Simon  Lee 

m. 

R. 

Intimations  of  Immortality  .     .     . 

Herbert. 

Gifts  of  God 

e. 

R.D.C. 

74- 

Read. 

Drifting 

m. 

R.D.C. 

No.  I. 

Sheridan's  Ride 

e. 

R. 

w 

Fletcher. 

Melancholy 

e. 

R. 

Palgrave,  104. 

Pope. 

Rape  of  the  Lock 

m. 

R. 

Pope's  Poems. 

14.  Ingelow. 

The  Brides  of  Enderby    .... 

m. 

R. 

No.  2. 

High  Tide,  etc 

Cowper. 

Loss  of  the  Royal  George     ?     .     . 

e. 

R. 

Palgrave,  129. 

Solitude  of  Selkirk 

ni. 

R. 

160. 

Dryden. 

Alexander's  Feast 

d 

R. 

116. 

Collins. 

The  Passions 

d. 

R. 

"         141. 

JONSON. 

Hymn  to  Diana 

m. 

R. 

78. 

Addison. 

Cato's  Soliloquy 

m. 

R. 

No.  I. 

Lodge. 

Rosaline 

m. 

R. 

Palgrave  16. 

Herrick. 

Counsel  to  Girls 

e. 

R. 
R. 

82. 

"        92. 

The  Poetry  of  Dress 

e. 

15.  Goethe. 

Raphael     Chorus,  —  a    wonderful 

chorus     of     three     stanzas      in 

Faust.      Read    Shelley's    trans- 

lations, both  literal  and  free,  in 

his  Fragments 

m. 

R.C.G. 

Shelley's  Poems. 

Omar  Khayyam. 

Rubaiyat,  especially  the   "  moving 

shadow-shape  "  and   the  "  phan- 

tom caravan  "  stanzas,  for  their 

magnificent  imagery      .... 

m. 

R.C.G. 

Fi'^zgerald's 

Euripides. 

Translation. 

Chorus     in     Medea  —  Campbell's 

translation 

m. 

R.C.G. 

Campbell's 

• 

Poems. 

•TABLE    III.  91 

Group  II.  continued.  —  Short  Poetical  Select iofis. 


Calderon. 

Read  Shelley's  Fragments     .     .     . 
Schiller. 

The  Battle 

The  Song  of  the  Bell 

MOLIERE. 

Tartuff  3',  or  The  Hypocrite  .     .     . 

Le     Misanthrope,    or    The    Man- 

Hater 


Manner 

of 
Reading. 


R.C.G. 

R. 
R. 

R.D. 

R.D. 


Where  found. 


Shelley's  Poems. 
Schiller's  Poems. 

No.  4. 
Publ.  separately. 

Moliere's  Plays. 


Group  III.  —  Short  Prose  Selections. 


'o  >■ 

Manner 

a  5 

of 

Where  found. 

1)  ^t: 

Reading. 

QQ 

16.  Lincoln. 

Gettysburg  Oration.     Famous  for 

its    calm,   clear,   simple    beauty, 

breadth,  and  power 

m. 

R.C. 

No.  2. 

Irving,  our  greatest  master  of  style  ; 

his  prose  is  poetry. 

Rip  Van  Winkle 

e. 

R.D.C. 

Sketch  Book. 

The  Spectre  Bridecjroom  .... 

e. 

R.D.C. 

U                .i 

The  Art  of  Book-Making      .     .     . 

e. 

R.D.C. 

((                    C( 

The  Legend  of  Sleepy  Hollow  .     . 

e. 

R.D.C. 

(c              a 

17.  Bacon. 

Essay  on  Studies.     Note  the  clear- 

ness and  completeness  of  Bacon, 

and  his  tremendous  condensation 

of  thought 

m. 

R.D.C. 

Bacon's  Essays. 

Carlyle. 

Apostrophe   to   Columbus,  p.   19^ 

of  Past  and  Present,  —  Carlyle's 

finest  passage 

m. 

R.D.C. 

Await  the  Issue 

m. 

R.D.C. 

Monroe. 

The  account  of  the  conversational 

powers    of    Coleridoje,    given'  in 

Carlyle's  Life  of  Sterling  .     .     . 

e. 

R.D.C. 

92 


SHORT   PROSE   SELECTIONS. 


Group  III.  contifiued.  —  Short  Prose  Selections, 


,^ 

0  ^ 

Manner 

of 

Where  found. 

^^ 

Reading. 

QQ 

i8.  Webster. 

Liberty   and    Union,  —  a  selection 

from  the  answer  to  Hayne  in  the 

United    States    Senate,   on    the 

question  of  the  power  of  a  State 

to   nulhfy  the  acts  of  Congress, 

and  to  withdraw  from  the  Union, 

—  the  greatest  of  American  ora- 

tions, and  worthy  to  rank  side  by 

side  with  the  world's  best .     .     . 

m. 

R.D.C. 

No.  I. 

Phillips. 

Comparison   of    Toussaint    L'Ou- 

verture   with    Napoleon,   in    his 

Phillips's 

oration  on  Toussaint     .... 

m. 

R.D.C. 

Speeches. 

19.  Everett. 

Discoveries  of  Galileo       .... 

m. 

R. 

No.  I. 

BURRITT. 

One  Niche  the  Highest     .... 

e. 

R. 

No.  7. 

20.  Hugo. 

The     Monster     Cannon,     one     of 

the   great    Frenchman's    master 

strokes,  —  a  very  thrilling  scene, 

splendidly  painted 

e. 

R. 

No.  II. 

Rome  and  Carthage 

m. 

R. 

No.  6. 

De  Quincey. 

Noble  Revenge 

m. 

R. 

No.  7. 

21.  POE. 

Murders  in  the  Rue  Morgue      .     . 

d. 

R. 

Little  Classics. 

Ingersoll. 

Ingersoll's 

Oration  at  the  funeral  of  his  brother 

m. 

R. 

Prose  Poems. 

22.  Scott. 

Thirty-sixth  chapter  of  the  Heart 

of  Midlothian 

m. 

R. 

Curtis. 

Nations  and  Humanity     .... 

m. 

R. 

No.  II. 

23.  Taylor. 

The  sections  on  Temperance  and 

Chastity  in  the  Holy  Living  and 

DvinsT 

ni. 

R.D. 

■■-^j*  *&    ......... 

Brooks. 

Pamphlet  on  Tolerance,  —  the  best 

book  in  the  world  on  a  most  vital 

subject 

m. 

R.D. 

TABLE   III. 


93 


Group  IV.  —  Wit  and  Humor  —  Short  List. 


QQ 

Manner 

of 
Reading. 

Where  found. 

24.  Lowell. 

Biglow  Papers 

e. 

R.D. 
R.D. 
R.D. 

R.D. 

S. 
S. 
S. 

s. 

S. 

s. 
s. 

s. 

Lowell's  Poems. 

No.  IT. 

No.  13. 
Innocents 
Abroad. 

Cumnock's 
Choice  Readings. 

((          <( 
Publ.  separately. 

Fable  for  Critics 

d 

The  Courtin' 

e. 

Holmes. 
Autocrat  of  the  Breakfast-Table    . 
25.  Carleton. 

Farm  Ballads,  especially  the  Visit 
of   the   School   Committee,   and 
The  Rivals 

m. 
e. 

Stowe. 

Laughin'  in  Meetin'     ..... 
Twain. 

On  New  England  Weather  . 

European     Guides,    and     Turkish 
Baths 

e. 

e. 
e. 

26.  Dickens. 

Pickwick  Papers 

e. 

James  De  Mille. 

A  Senator  Entangled 

Lover. 

The  Gridiron 

e. 
e. 

Whately. 
Historic  Doubts  regarding   Napo- 
leon   

e. 

94     SUPPLEMENTARY  GENERAL  READING. 


TABLE  IV. 

SUPPLEMENTARY  GENERAL  READING. 

In  addition  to  the  short  courses  set  forth  in  Tables 
II.  and  III.,  at  the  same  time,  if  the  reader  has  a 
sufficiency  of  spare  hours,  but  always  in  subordina- 
tion to  the  above  courses,  it  is  recommended  that  at- 
tention be  given  to  the  following  books :  — 

Bunyan's  Pilgrim's  Progress,     (e.  R.  D.) 

Defoe's  Robinson  Crusoe,     (e.  S.) 

Dickens'  Christmas  Carol  (m.  R.  D.)  ;  Cricket  on  the 
Hearth,     (m.  R.  D.) 

Ruskin's  Crown  of  Wild  Olive  (m.  R.  D.)  ;  Ethics  of 
the  Dust  (m.  R.  D.)  ;  Sesame  and  Lilies,     (m.  R.  D.) 

Emerson's  Essays  (d.  R.  D.  C.) ;  especially  those  on 
Manners,  Gifts,  Love,  Friendship,  The  Poet,  and  on  Repre- 
sentative Men. 

Demosthenes  on  the  Crown,     (m.  R.  D.  C.  G.) 

Burke's  Warren  Hastings   Oration,     (m.  R.  D.  C.  G.) 

Phillips'  Speeches  on  Lovejoy  and  Garrison,  (m.  R. 
D.  C.  G.) 

La  Fontaine's  Fables,     (m.  R.  D.) 

Short  Biographies  of  the  World's  Hundred  Greatest  Men. 
(m.  R.  D.) 

Marshall's  Life  of  Washington,     (m.  R.  D.  G.) 

Carlyle'^  Cromwell,     (m.  R.  D.  G.) 

Tennyson's  In  Memoriam.     (d.  R.  D.  C.) 


TABLE   IV.  95 

Byron's  Childe  Harold,     (m.  R.  D.  C.) 
Burns'  Cotter's  Saturday  Night,     (m.  R.  D.) 
Keats'  Endymion.     (d.  R.  D.  C.) 
Shelley's  Prometheus  Unbound,      (d.  R.  D.  C.  G.) 
Campbell's  Pleasures  of  Plope.      (m.  R.  D.  C.) 
Goldsmith's  Deserted  Village.,     (m.  R.  D.  C.) 
Pope's  Essay  on  Man.     (m.  R.  D.  C.) 
Thomson's  Seasons,     (m.  R.  D.  C.) 


CHILDREN. 

So  far  we  have  spoken  of  reading  for  grown 
people.  Now  we  must  deal  with  the  reading  of 
young  folks,  —  a  subject  of  the  utmost  importance. 
For  to  give  a  child  good  habits  of  reading,  to  make 
him  like  to  read  and  master  strong,  pure  books,  — 
books  filled  with  wisdom  and  beauty,  —  and  equally 
eager  to  shun  bad  books,  is  to  do  for  him  and  the 
world  a  service  of  the  highest  possible  character  ;  and 
to  neglect  the  right  care  of  a  child  in  this  matter  is 
to  do  him  an  injury  far  greater  than  to  mutilate  his 
face  or  cut  off  his  arm. 


WHAT  TO   GIVE   THE   CHILDREN. 

Parents,  teachers,  and  others  interested  in  the 
welfare  of  young  people  have  not  only  to  solve  the 
problem  of  selecting  books  for  their  own  nourish- 
ment, but  also  the  more  difficult  problem  of  pro- 
viding the  young  folks  with  appropriate  literary  food. 
As  literature  may  be  made  one  of  the  most  powerful 
influences  in  the  development  of  a  child,  the  greatest 
care  should  be  taken  to  make  the  influence  true, 
pure,  and  tender,  and  give  it  in  every  respect  the 
highest  possible  character,  which  requires  as  much 
care  to  see  that  bad  books  do  not  come  into  the 
child's  possession  and  use,  as  to  see  that  good  books 
do.  The  ability  to  read  adds  to  life  a  wonderful 
power,  but  it  is  a  power  for  evil  as  well  as  good.  As 
Lowell  says,  "  It  is  the  key  which  admits  us  to  the 
whole  world  of  thought  and  fancy  and  imagination,  — 
to  the  company  of  saint  and  sage,  of  the  wisest  and 
wittiest  at  their  wisest  and  wittiest  moments.  It 
enables  us  to  see  with  the  keenest  eyes,  hear  with 
the  finest  ears,  and  listen  to  the  sweetest  voices  of 
all  time.  More  than  that,  it  annihilates  time  and 
space  for  us,  —  reviving  without  a  miracle  the  Age 
of  Wonder,  and  endowing  us  with  the  shoes  of  swift- 
ness  and  the   cap  of  darkness."     Yes,  but  it   opens 

7 


98  WHAT  TO   GIVE  THE   CHILDREN. 

our  minds  to  the  thoughts  of  the  vile  as  well  as  to 
those  of  the  virtuous ;  it  unlocks  the  prisons  and 
haunts  of  vice  as  well  as  the  school  and  the  church  ;  it 
drags  us  through  the  sewer  as  well  as  gives  us  admis- 
sion to  the  palace ;  it  feeds  us  on  filth  as  well  as  the 
finest  food ;  it  pours  upon  our  souls  the  deepest  deg- 
radation as  well  as  the  spirit  of  divinity.  Parents  will 
do  well  to  keep  from  their  children  such  books  as  Rich- 
ardson's **  Pamela"  and  **  Clarissa  Harlowe ;  "  Field- 
ing's "  Joseph  Andrews,"  "  Jonathan  Wild,"  and  "  Tom 
Jones  ;  "  Smollett's  "  Humphrey  Clinker,"  "  Peregrine 
Pickle,"  and  "  Adventures  of  an  Atom ;  "  Sterne's 
"Tristram  Shandy;"  Swift's  "Gulliver,"  and  their 
modern  relatives.  Many  of  these  coarse  pictures  of 
depravity  and  microscopic  analyses  of  filth  I  cannot 
read  without  feeling  insulted  by  their  vulgarity,  as  I 
do  when  some  one  tells  an  indecent  story  in  my 
presence.  Whatever  the  power  or  wit  of  a  book,  if 
its  motive  is  not  high  and  its  expression  lofty,  it 
should  not  come  into  contact  with  any  life,  at  least 
until  its  character  is  fixed  and  hardened  in  the  mould 
of  virtue  beyond  the  period  of  plasticity  that  might 
receive  the  imprint  of  the  badness  in  the  book. 
There  are  plenty  of  splendid  books  that  are  pure  and 
ennobling  as  well  as  strong  and  humorous,  —  more 
of  them  than  anyone  person  can  ever  read,  —  so  that 
there  is  no  necessity  of  contact  with  imperfect  litera- 
ture. If  a  boy  comes  into  possession  of  a  book  that 
he  would  not  like  to  read  aloud  to  his  mother  or 
sister,  he  has  something  that  is  not  good  for  him  to 


WHAT  TO    GIVE   THE   CHILDREN.  99 

read,  —  something  that  is  not  altogether  the  very 
best  for  anybody  to  read.  Some  liberty  of  choice, 
however,  ought  to  be  allowed  the  children.  It  will 
add  much  to  the  vigor  and  enthusiasm  of  a  boy's 
reading  if,  instead  of  prescribing  the  precise  volume 
he  is  to  have  at  each  step,  he  is  permitted  to  make 
his  own  selection  from  a  list  of  three  or  four  chosen  by 
the  person  who  is  guiding  him.  What  these  three  or 
four  should  be,  is  the  problem.  I  cannot  agree  with 
Lowell,  when  he  says  that  young  people  ought  to 
"  confine  themselves  to  the  supreme  books  in  what- 
ever literature,  or,  still  better,  choose  some  one  great 
author  and  make  themselves  thoroughly  familiar  with 
him,"  It  is  possible  to  know  something  of  peo- 
ple in  general  about  me  without  neglecting  my  best 
friends.  It  is  possible  to  enjoy  the  society  of  Shak- 
speare,  Goethe,  ^schylus,  Dante,  Homer,  Plato, 
Spencer,  Scott,  Eliot,  Marcus  Aurelius,  and  Irving, 
without  remaining  in  ignorance  of  the  power  and 
beauty  to  be  found  in  Chaucer,  Spenser,  Milton,  Byron, 
Burns,  Goldsmith,  Keats,  Shelley,  Tennyson,  Longfel- 
low, Whittier,  Holmes,  and  Lowell,  Ingersoll,  Omar, 
Arnold,  Brooks,  and  Robertson,  Curtis,  Aldrich, 
Warner,  Jewett,  Burroughs,  Bulwer,  Tourgee,  Hearn, 
Kingsley,  MacDonald,  Hawthorne,  Dickens,  Thack- 
eray, Carlyle,  Ruskin,  Hugo,  Bronte,  Sienkiewicz,  and 
a  host  of  others.  Scarcely  a  day  passes  that  I  do  not 
spend  a  little  time  with  Shakspeare,  Goethe,  Aeschy- 
lus, Spencer,  and  Irving;  but  I  should  be  sorry  to  have 
any  one  of  those  I  have  named  beyond  call  at  any 


lOO  WHAT  TO   GIVE  THE   CHILDREN. 

time.  There  are  parts  of  Holmes,  Lowell,  Brooks,* 
Emerson,  Omar,  Arnold,  Tourgee,  and  Hearn  that 
are  as  dear  to  me  as  any  passages  of  equal  size  in 
Goethe  or  Irving.  So  it  does  not  seem  best  to  me  to 
confine  the  attention  to  the  supreme  books;  a  just 
proportion  is  the  true  rule.  Let  the  supreme  books 
have  the  supreme  attention,  absorb  them,  print  them 
on  the  brain,  carry  them,  about  in  the  heart,  but  give 
a  due  share  of  time  to  other  books.  I  like  the 
suggestion  of  Marietta  Holley :  **  I  would  feed  chil- 
dren with  little  sweet  crumbs  of  the  best  of  books, 
and  teach  them  that  a  whole  rich  feast  awaited  them 
in  the  full  pages,"  only  taking  care  in  each  instance 
that  the  crumb  is  well  rounded,  the  picture  not  torn 
or  distorted.  There  are  paragraphs  and  pages  in 
many  works  of  the  second  rank  that  are  equal  to 
almost  anything  in  the  supreme  books,  and  superior 
to  much  the  latter  contain.  These  passages  should 
be  sought  and  cherished  ;  and  the  work  of  condensing 
the  thought  and  beauty  of  literature  —  making  a 
sort  of  literary  prayer-book  —  is  an  undertaking  that 
ought  not  to  be  much  longer  delayed.  Until  it  is 
done,  however,  there  is  no  way  but  to  read  widely, 
adapting  the  speed  and  care  to  the  value  of  the  vol- 
ume.  Some  things  may  be  best  read  by  deputy,  as 
Mark  Twain  climbed  the  Alps  by  agent;  newspapers, 
for  example,  and  many  of  the  novels  that  flame  up 
like  a  haystack  on  fire,  and  fade  like  a  meteor  in  its 
fall,  striking  the  earth  never  to  rise  again.  The  time 
that   many  a  young  man   spends  upon   newspapers 


WHAT  TO    GIVE  THE   CHILDREN.  lOI 

would  be  sufficient  to  make  him  familiar  with  a  dozen 
undying  books  every  year.  Newspapers  are  not  to 
be  despised,  but  they  should  not  be  allowed  to  crowd 
out  more  important  things.  I  keep  track  of  the 
progress  of  events  by  reading  the  "  Outlook  "  in  the 
**  Christian  Union  "  every  week,  and  glancing  at 
the  head-lines  of  the  **  Herald  "  or  "  Journal,"  read- 
ing a  little  of  anything  specially  important,  or  getting 
an  abstract  from  a  friend  who  always  reads  the  paper. 
A  good  way  to  economize  time  is  for  a  number  of 
friends  to  take  the  same  paper,  the  first  page  being 
allotted  to  one,  the  second  to  another,  and  so  on, 
each  vocally  informing  the  others  of  the  substance  of 
his  page.  If  time  cannot  be  found  for  both  the  news- 
paper and  the  classic,  the  former,  not  the  latter, 
should  receive  the  neglect. 

This  matter  of  the  use  of  time  is  one  concerning 
which  parents  should  strive  to  give  their  children 
good  habits  from  the  first.  If  you  teach  a  child  to 
economize  time,  and  fill  him  with  a  love  of  good 
books,  you  ensure  him  an  education  far  beyond  any- 
thing he  can  get  in  the  university,  —  an  education 
that  will  cease  only  with  his  life.  The  creation  of  a 
habit  of  industrious  study  of  books  that  will  improve 
the  character,  develop  the  powers,  and  store  the  mind 
with  force  and  beauty,  —  that  is  the  great  object. 

A  good  example  is  the  best  teacher.  It  is  well  for 
parents  to  keep  close  to  the  child  until  he  grows  old 
enough  to  learn  how  to  determine  for  himself  what 
he  should  read  (which  usually  is  not  before  fifteen  or 


102  WHAT   TO    GIVE   THE   CHILDREN. 

twenty,  and  in  many  cases  never) ;  for  children,  and 
grown  folks  too  for  that  matter,  crave  intellectual 
as  much  as  they  do  physical  companionship. 

The  methods  of  guiding  the  young  in  the  paths 
of  literature  fall  naturally  into  two  groups,  —  the  first 
being  adapted  to  childhood  not  yet  arrived  at  the 
power  of  reading  alone,  the  second  adapted  to  later 
years.  There  is  no  sharp  line  of  division  or  exclu- 
sion, but  only  a  general  separation ;  for  the  methods 
peculiarly  appropriate  to  each  period  apply  to  some 
extent  in  the  other.  Some  children  are  able  to  read 
weighty  books  at  three  or  four  years  of  age,  but  most 
boys  and  girls  have  to  plod  along  till  they  are  eight 
or  ten  before  they  can  read  much  alone.  I  will  con- 
sider the  periods  of  child  life  I  have  referred  to,  each 
by  itself. 

The  Age  of  Stories. — It  is  not  necessary  or  proper 
to  wait  until  a  child  can  read,  before  introducing  it  to 
the  best  literature.  Most  of  the  books  written  for 
children  have  no  permanent  value,  and  most  of  the 
reading  books  used  in  primary  and  grammar  schools 
contain  little  or  no  genuine  literature,  and  what  they 
do  contain  is  in  fragments.  Portions  of  good  books 
are  useful,  if  the  story  of  each  part  is  complete,  but 
children  do  not  like  the  middle  of  a  story  without  the 
beginning  and  end ;  they  have  the  sense  of  entirety, 
and  it  should  be  satisfied.  And  it  is  not  difficult  to 
do  this.  Literature  affords  a  multitude  of  beautiful 
stories  of  exceeding  interest  to  children,  and  of  per- 
manent attractiveness  through  all  the  after  years  of 


WHAT   TO   GIVE   THE    CHILDREN.  103 

their  lives.     Such  h'terature  is  as  available,  as  a  means 
of  teaching  the  art  of  reading,  as  is  the  trash  in  dreary- 
droning  over  which  the  precious  years  of  childhood 
are  spent  in  our  public  schools.      The  development 
of  the   child   mind   follows   the  same   course   as   the 
development  of  the  mind  of  the  race.     The  little  boy 
loves  the  wonderful  and  the  strong,  and  nearly  every- 
thing is  wonderful  to  him  except  himself.       Living 
things  especially  interest  him.     Every  child  is  a  born 
naturalist;    his  heart  turns  to  birds  and  beasts,  flow- 
ers and  stars.     He  is  hungry   for  stories  of  animals, 
giants,   fairies,    etc.       Myths   and   fairy  tales   are   his 
natural  food.     His  power  of  absorbing  and  retaining 
them  is  marvellous.     One  evening  a  few  weeks  ago 
a  little  boy  who  is  as  yet  scarcely  able  to  read  words 
of  two  and   three   letters   asked   me   for  a   story.     I 
made  an  agreement  with   him  that  whatever  I  told 
him,   he    should    afterward   repeat  to   me,  and   then 
gave    him    the   story   of  the   elephant  who   squirted 
muddy  water  over  the  cruel  tailor  that  pricked  his 
trunk  with  a  needle.     No  sooner  had  I  finished  than 
he  threw  his  arms  around  my  neck  and  begged  for 
another  story.     I  told  him  eight  in  rapid  succession, 
some  of  them  occupying  three  or  four  minutes,  and 
then  asked  him  to  tell  me  about  the  elephants,  dogs, 
bears,  etc.,  that  1  had  spoken  of.     He  recited  every 
story  with  astonishing  accuracy  and   readiness,  and 
apparently    without    effort,    and    would    have    been 
ready   for  eight   more    bits    of  Wood   or  Andersen, 
if  his  bedtime  had  not  intervened.     If  parents  would 


104  WHAT   TO   GIVE   THE  CHILDREN. 

take   as  much  pains  to  satisfy  the  mind  hunger   of 
their  children  as  they  do  to  fulfil  their  physical  wants, 
and    give    them    the    best    literature    as   well    as   the 
best    beef  and    potatoes,   the  boys   and   girls  would 
have  digested  the  greater  part  of  mythology,  natural 
science,  and   the    best    fiction  by   the  time  they  are 
able   to  read.     Children  should   be  fed  with  the  lit- 
erature that  represents    the    childhood   of  the    race. 
Out  of  that  literature  has  grown  all  literature.    Give  a 
child  the  contents  of  the  great  books  of  the  dawn,  and 
you  give  him  the  best  foundation  for  subsequent  ht- 
erary  growth,  and  in  after  life  he  will  be  able  to  follow 
the  intricate  interweaving  of  the  old  threads  through- 
out all  modern  thought.     He  has  an  immense  affinity 
for  those  old  books,  for  they  are  full  of  music  and 
picturesqueness,  teeming  with  vigorous  life,  bursting 
with  the   strange   and  wonderful.      In  the  following 
list  parents  and  teachers  will  find  abundant  materials 
for  the  culture  of  the  little  ones,  either  by  reading 
aloud   to   them,   or   still   better   by  telling  them   the 
substance  of  what  they  have  gathered  by  their  own 
reading  of  these  famous  stories  and  ditties.     Pictures 
are  always  of  the  utmost  value   in   connection  with 
books  and  stories,  as  they  impart  a  vividness  of  con- 
ception that  words  alone  are  powerless  to  produce. 
One    plea    for    sincerity   I    must   make,  —  truth   and 
frankness    from    the   cradle    to   the   grave.      Do   not 
delude  the  children.     Do  not  persuade  them  that  a 
fairy  tale   is  history.     I  have  a  sad  memory  of  my 
disgust  and  loss  of  confidence  in  human  probity  when 


WHAT   TO   GIVE   THE    CHILDREN.  IO5 

I  discovered  the  mythical  character  of  Kriss  Kringle, 
and  I  believe  many  children  are  needlessly  shocked 
in  this  way. 

List  of  Materials  for   Story-telling   and  for   the 
Instruction  and  Amusement  of  Childhood. 

"  Mother  Goose,"  "  Jack  and  the  Bean-Stalk,"  "  Jack  the 
Giant-Killer,"  "Three  Bears,"  "Red  Riding-Hood," 
"The  Ark,"  "  Hop  o'  my  Thumb,"  "  Puss  in  Boots," 
"Samson,"  "Ugly  Duckling,"  "The  Horse  of  Troy" 
(Virgil).  "  Daniel  in  the  Lion's  Den,"  etc. 

Andersen's  "  Fairy  Tales."     Delightful  to  all  children. 

Grimm's  "Fairy  Tales." 

De  Garmo's  "  Fairy  Tales." 

Craik's  "  Adventures  of  a  Brownie." 

"Parents'  Assistant,"  by  Maria  Edgeworth,  recommended 
by  George  William  Curtis,  Mary  Mapes  Dodge,  Charles 
Dudley  Warner,  etc. 

"  Zigzag  Journeys,"  a  series  of  twelve  books,  written  by 
Hezekiah  Butterworth,  one  of  the  editors  of  the  "  Youth's 
Companion."  As  might  be  supposed,  they  are  among 
the  very  best  and  most  enduringly  popular  books  ever 
written  for  young  people. 

Wood's  books  of  Anecdotes  about  Animals,  and  many 
other  works  of  similar  character,  that  may  be  obtained 
from  the  American  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty 
to  Animals,  19  Milk  Street,  Boston.  The  literature  dis- 
tributed by  this  Society  is  filled  with  the  spirit  of  love 
and  tenderness  for  all  living  things,  and  is  one  of  the 
best  influences  that  can  come  into  a  child's  life. 

Mary  Treat's  "  Home  Book  of  Nature."  One  of  the  best 
books  of  science  for  young  people. 


I06  WHAT   TO   GIVE   THE   CHILDREN. 

Bulfinch's  "Age  of  Fable."     A  book  that  is  exhaustive  of 
Greek  and  Roman  mythology,  but  meant  for  grown  folks. 

Bulfinch's  "Age  of  Chivalry." 

Fiske's  "  Myths  and  Myth  Makers."     Brief,  deep,  and  sug- 
gestive. 

Hawthorne's   "Wonder  Book"  and   "Tanglewood   Tales." 
Books  that  no  house  containing  children  should  lack. 

Cox's  "Tales  of  Ancient  Greece." 

Baldwin's  "  Stories  of  the  Golden  Age." 

Forestier's  "  Echoes  from  Mist  Land."     An  interesting  study 
of  the  Nibelungenlied. 

Lucian's  "  Dialogues  of  the  Gods."     Written  to  ridicule  an- 
cient superstitions. 

Curtin's  "  Folk  Lore  of  Ireland." 

Stories  of  Greek  Heroes,  Kingsley. 

Stories  from  Bryant's  Odyssey. 

Stories  from  Church's  "  Story  of  the  Iliad." 

Stories  from  Church's  "  Story  of  the  ^'Eneid." 

Stories  from  Herodotus,  Church. 

Stories  from  the  Greek  Tragedians,  Church. 

Stories  of  Charlemagne,  Hanson. 

Stories  from  "  Arabian  Nights,"  Bulfinch. 

Stories  from  "  Munchausen,"  and  Maundeville. 

Stories  from  Chaucer,  especially  "  Griselda."    (From  Chaucer, 
or  from  Mrs.  Havveis'  book.) 

Stories  told  to  a  Child,  by  Jean  Ingelow. 

Stories  from  the  "  Morte  D' Arthur,"  Malory  or  Lanier. 

Stories  from  Lanier's  "  Froissart." 

Stories  from  Shakspeare. 

Stories  of  the  Revolution,  Riedesel. 

Stories    from    American    and    English    History  about    the 
Magna  Charta,  Henry  Vllf.,  Queen  Elizabeth,  Cromwell, 


WHAT   TO    GIVE  THE   CHILDREN.  lO/ 

Pitt,  Gladstone,  Boston  Tea  Party,  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, Washington,  Rebellion,  Lincoln,  etc. 

Stories  of  American  life,  from  "  Oldtovvn  Folks,"  "  Sam  Law- 
son's  Fireside  Stories,"  and  from  the  best  novels. 

Stories  from  the  "  Book  of  Golden  Deeds,"  Miss  Yonge. 

Stories    from   Bolton's  "  Poor  Boys  who  became  Famous," 
and  "  Girls  who  became  Famous." 

Stories  from  Smiles's  "Self-Help."     Full  of  brief,  inspiring 
stories  of  great  men. 

Stories  from  Todd's  "  Students'  Manual." 

Stories  from  Irving's  "  Sketch  Book,"  Rip  Van  Winkle,  etc. 

Stories  from  Green's  "Short  History  of  the  English  People." 

Stories  from  Doyle's  "  History  of  the  United  States."     One  of 
the  very  best  brief  histories. 

Stories    from    Mackenzie's     "  History   of    the    Nineteenth 
Century." 

Stories  from  Coffin's  "  Story  of  Liberty." 

Stories  from  Freeman's  '•'  General  Sketch  of  History." 

Stories  from  the  "  Stories  of  the  Nations."    (Putnam's  Series.) 

Stories  from  the  books  of  Columns  2,  3,  4,  5,  8,  12,  and  14 
of  Table  I. 

The  story  of  Christ  and  his  Apostles.     (It  is  scarcely  need 
ful  to  mention  Bible  stories  in  general.     Every  child  born 
into  a  civilized  family  is  saturated  with  them  ;  but  the 
simple  story  of  Christ's  life  as  an  entirety  is  too  seldom 
told  them.) 

The  story  of  Buddha,  from  the  "  Light  of  Asia." 

The  story  of  Mahomet,  Irving. 

The  story  of  Confucius. 

The  story  of  Socrates  drinking  the  hemlock,  from  Plato,  or 
from  Fe'nelon's  "  Lives  of  the  Philosophers,"  which  con- 
tains many  splendid  Greek  stories. 


I08  WHAT   TO    GIVE   THE   CHILDREN. 

The  story  of  Prometheus,  from  ^schylus. 

The  story  of  Diogenes  in  his  Tub. 

The  story  of  Thermopylae  and  other  battles,  from  Cressy. 

The  story  of  Carthage,  from  Putnam's  series  of  the  "  Stories 
of  the  Nations."     (Nine  to  eleven  years.) 

The  story  of  Roland,  Baldwin. 

The  story  of  the  Cid,  Southey. 

The  story  of  the  Nibelungenlied.  (See  Baldwin's  "  Story 
of  Siegfried.") 

The  story  of  Faust,  from  "Zigzag  Journeys." 

The  story  of  "  Reynard  the  Fox,"  Goethe. 

The  story  of  Pythagoras  and  the  transmigration  of  souls. 

The  story  of  Astronomy,  from  Herschel,  Proctor,  etc. 

The  story  of  Geology,  from  Lyell,  Dawson,  Miller,  etc.,  or 
from  Dana's  "  The  Geological  Story,  Briefly  Told." 

The  story  of  Athena,  Pluto,  Neptune,  Apollo,  Juno,  Mars, 
Jupiter,  Mercury,  Charon,  Vulcan,  Zeus,  lo,  Orpheus, 
and  Eurydice,  Phaeton,  Arachne,  Ariadne,  Iphigenia, 
Ceres,  Vesta,  Herakles,  Minerva,  Venus,  Scylla  and  Cha- 
rybdis,  Hercules,  Ulysses,  Helen,  Achilles,  ^neas,  etc., 
from  Bulfinch's  "  Age  of  Fable,"  "  Zigzag  Journeys,"  etc. 

The  story  of  William  Tell,  the  Man  in  the  Moon,  etc.,  from 
S.  Baring  Gould's  "  Curious  Myths." 

The  story  of  the  Courtship  of  Miles  Standish. 

The  story  of  the  Niirnburg  Stove,  from  Ouida's  "  Bimbi." 

The  story  of  Robert  Bruce. 

The  story  of  Circe's  Palace,  from  ''  Tangle  wood  Tales." 

The  story  of  Pandora's  Box,  from  the  *'  Wonder  Book." 

The  story  of  Little  Nell,  from  "  The  Old  Curiosity  Shop." 

The  story  of  the  Boy  in  *'  Vanity  Fair." 

Many  other  books  might  be  placed  on  the  list  of  parent- 
helpers.     Indeed,  the  perfect  guidance  of  youth  would  re- 


FORMATION    OF  A   GOOD    READING   HABIT.       109 

quire  a  perfect  knowledge  of  literature  throughout  its  breadth 
and  depth ;  but  the  above  suggestions,  if  followed  in  any- 
large  degree,  will  result  in  a  far  better  training  than  most 
children  now  receive. 


THE  FORMATION  OF  A  GOOD  READING  HABIT. 

As  the  child  learns  to  read  by  itself,  the  books 
from  which  were  drawn  the  stories  it  has  heard  may 
be  given  to  it,  care  being  taken  that  every  gift  shall 
be  adapted  to  the  ability  of  the  little  one.  The  fact 
that  the  boy  has  heard  the  story  of  Horatius  at  the 
Bridge  does  not  diminish,  but  vastly  increases,  his  de- 
sire to  read  the  **  Lays  of  Ancient  Rome."  When  he 
comes  to  the  possession  of  the  book,  it  seems  to  him 
like  a  discovery  of  the  face  of  a  dear  friend  with 
whose  voice  he  has  long  been  familiar.  I  well  remem- 
ber with  what  delight  I  adopted  the  "  Sketch  Book  " 
as  one  of  my  favorites  on  finding  Rip  Van  Winkle 
in  it. 

Below  will  be  found  a  list  of  books  intended  as  a 
suggestion  of  what  should  be  given  to  children  of 
various  ages.  The  larger  the  number  of  good  books 
the  child  can  be  induced  to  read  each  year,  the  better 
of  course,  so  long  as  his  powers  are  not  overtaxed, 
and  the  reading  is  done  with  due  thoroughness.  But 
if  only  four  or  five  are  selected  from  each  year's  list, 
the  boy  will  know  more  of  standard  literature  by  the 
time  he  is  sixteen,  than  most  of  his  elders  do.     Each 


no  WHAT   TO   GIVE  THE   CHILDREN. 

book  enters  the  list  at  the  earliest  age  an  ordinary 
child  would  be  able  to  read  it  with  ease,  and  it  may- 
be used  then  or  at  any  subsequent  age ;  for  no  books 
are  mentioned  which  are  not  of  everlasting  interest 
and  profit  to  childhood,  manhood,  and  age.  Many 
of  the  volumes  named  below  may  also  be  used  by 
parents  and  teachers  as  story-mines.  There  is  no 
sharp  line  between  the  periods  of  story-telling  and  of 
reading.  Most  children  read  simple  English  readily 
at  eight  or  ten  years  of  age ;  many  do  a  large  amount 
of  reading  long  before  that,  and  nearly  all  do  some 
individual  work  in  the  earlier  period.  The  change 
should  be  gradual.  For  the  stimulus  that  comparison 
gives,  story-telling  and  reading  aloud  should  be  con- 
tinued long  after  the  child  is  able  to  read  alone ;  in 
truth,  it  ought  never  to  cease.  Story-telling  ought  to 
be  a  universal  practice.  Stories  should  be  told  to 
and  by  everybody.  One  of  the  best  things  grown 
folks  can  do  is  to  tell  each  other  the  substance  of 
their  experience  from  day  to  day ;  and  probably  no 
finer  means  of  education  exists  than  to  have  the 
children  give  an  account  at  supper  or  in  the  hour  or 
two  following,  of  what  they  have  seen,  heard,  read, 
thought,  and  felt  during  the  day.  In  the  same  way 
reading  solus  should  lap  over  into  the  early  period 
as  far  as  possible.  One  of  the  greatest  needs  of  the 
day  is  a  class  of  books  that  shall  put  solid  sense  into 
very  simple  words.  A  child  can  grasp  the  wonder- 
ful, strong,  loving,  pathetic,  and  even  the  humorous 
and  critical,  long  before  it  can  overcome  the  mechan- 


FORMATION   OF   A   GOOD    READING   HABIT.        I  I  I 

ical  difficulties  of  reading.  By  so  much  as  we  dimin- 
ish these,  we  push  education  nearer  to  the  cradle. 
Charles  Dudley  Warner  says,  "  As  a  general  thing,  I 
do  not  believe  in  books  written  for  children ;  "  and 
Phillips  Brooks,  Marietta  Holley,  Brooke  Herford, 
and  others  express  a  similar  feeling.  But  the  trouble 
is  not  with  iho.  plan  of  writing  for  children,  but  with 
the  execution.  If  the  highest  thoug/its  and  feelings 
were  written  in  the  simplest  words,  — written  as  a  wise 
parent  tells  them  to  his  little  ones,  — then  we  should 
have  a  juvenile  literature  that  could  be  recommended. 
As  it  is,  most  writers  for  babies  seem  to  have  far  less 
sense  than  the  babies.  Their  books  are  filled  with 
unnatural,  make-believe  emotions,  and  egregious  non- 
sense in  the  place  of  ideas.  The  best  prose  for  young 
people  will  be  found  in  the  works  of  Hawthorne, 
Curtis,  Warner,  Holmes,  Irving,  Addison,  Goldsmith, 
Burroughs,  and  Poe;  and  the  best  poets  for  them  are 
Longfellow,  Lowell,  Whittier,  Burns,  and  Homer. 
Books  that  flavor  sense  with  fun,  as  do  those  of  Curtis, 
Holmes,  Lowell,  Holley,  Stowe,  Irving,  Goldsmith, 
Warner,  Addison,  and  Burroughs,  are  among  the 
best  means  of  creating  in  any  heart,  young  or  old, 
a  love  for  fine,  pure  writing.  P.  T.  Barnum,  a  man 
whose  great  success  is  largely  due  to  his  attainment 
of  that  serenity  of  mind  which  Lowell  calls  the  highest 
result  of  culture,  says  :  "  I  should,  above  almost  every- 
thing else,  try  to  cultivate  in  the  child  a  kindly  sense  of 
humor.  Wherever  a  pure,  hearty  laugh  rings  through 
Hterature,  he  should  be  permitted  and  taught  to  en- 


112  WHAT   TO    GIVE   THE   CHILDREN. 

joy  it."  This  judgment  comes  from  a  knowledge  ol 
the  sustaining  power  a  love  of  humor  gives  a  man 
immersed  in  mental  cares  and  worriments.  Lincoln 
is,  perhaps,  the  best  example  of  its  power. 

It  is  often  an  inspiration  to  a  boy  to  know  that  a 
book  he  is  reading  has  helped  and  been  beloved  by 
some  one  whose  name  is  to  him  a  synonym  of  great- 
ness,—  to  know,  for  example,  that  Franklin  got  his 
style  from  the  "  Spectator,"  which  he  studied  dili- 
gently when  a  boy ;  that  Francis  Parkman  from  fifteen 
to  twenty-one  obtained  more  pleasure  and  profit  from 
Scott  than  from  any  other  writer ;  that  Darwin  was 
very  fond  of  Mark  Twain's  '*  Treatise  on  the  Frog;  " 
that  Marietta  Holley  places  Emerson,  Tennyson,  and 
Eliot  next  to  the  Bible  in  her  list  of  favorites ;  that 
Senator  Hoar  writes  Emerson,  Wordsworth,  and  Scott 
next  after  the  Bible  and  Shakspeare ;  that  Robert 
Collyer  took  great  delight  in  Irving's  '*  Sketch  Book," 
when  a  youth ;  that  the  great  historian  Lecky  is  said 
to  be  in  the  habit  of  taking  Irving  with  him  when  he 
goes  to  bed  ;  that  Phillips  Brooks  read  Jonson  many 
times  when  a  boy,  and  that  Lockhart's  Scott  was 
a  great  favorite  with  him,  though  the  Doctor  at- 
taches no  special  significance  to  either  of  these  facts ; 
that  Susan  Coolidge  thinks  "  Hans  Brinker  "  is  the 
best  of  all  American  books  for  children,  etc.  Similar 
facts  may  be  found  in  relation  to  very  many  of  the 
best  books,  and  will  aid  much  in  arousing  an  interest 
in  them. 

Plato,  Bacon,  Goethe,  Spencer,  Emerson,  and  many 


FORMATION   OF   A    GOOD    READING   HABIT.        II3 

others  of  the  best  are  for  the  most  part  too  difficult 
to  be  properly  grasped  until  the  mind  is  more  mature 
than  it  usually  is  at  sixteen.  No  precise  rules,  how- 
ever, can  be  laid  down  on  this  subject.  I  have  known 
a  boy  read  Spencer's  '*  First  Principles  "  and  Goethe's 
''  Faust  "  and  "  VVilhelm  Meister  "  at  sixteen,  and  gain 
a  mastery  of  them.  All  I  have  attempted  to  do  is  to 
make  broad  suggestions ;  experiment  in  each  case 
must  do  the  rest. 

Literature  adapted  to  a  Child  Six  or  Eight  Years- 
of  Age  and  tipzvard. 

Little  Lord  Fauntleroy.  A  book  that  cannot  fail  to  delight 
and  improve  every  reader. 

King  of  the  Golden  River,  Ruskin. 

*'  Rosebud,"  from  "  Harvard  Sophomore  Stories." 

Christmas  all  the  Year  round,  Hovvells. 

Mrs.  Stowe's  ''  Laughin'  in  Meetin'."  An  exceedingly  funny 
story. 

"  Each  and  All  "  and  "  Seven  Little  Sisters,"  by  Jane  An- 
drews. Used  in  the  Boston  Public  Schools  as  supple- 
mentary reading. 

Classics  in  Babyland,  Bates. 

Scudder's  '•'  Fables  and  Folk  Stories."  Fine  hooks  for  little 
ones. 

^sop. 

Rainbows  for  Children,  Lydia  Maria  Child. 

Black  Beauty,  by  Anna  Sewell.  The  autobiography  of  a 
splendid  horse,  and  the  best  teacher  of  kmdness  to  ani- 
mals we  know  of. 

8 


114  WHAT   TO    GIVE   THE   CHILDREN. 

Burroughs'  "  Birds  and  Bees."  In  fact,  all  his  beautiful  and 
simple  stories  of  Nature  —  "  Pepacton,"  "  Fresh  Fields," 
"  Wake  Robin,"  "  Winter  Sunshine,"  "  Signs  and  Sea- 
sons," etc.  —  are  the  delight  of  children  as  soon  as  they 
can  read. 

Winslow's  "  Fairy  Geography." 

By  Sea-side  and  Wayside,  Wright, 


Literature  adapted  to  a  Child  Eight  to  Nine  Years  of 
Age  and  upward. 

Sandford  and  Merton,  Day.  One  of  the  very  best  of 
children's  books. 

Play  Days,  Sarah  Orne  Jewett. 

Andersen's  "  Fairy  Tales."     Cannot  be  too  highly  praised. 

Stories  from  King  Arthur,  Hanson.  A  good  foundation  for 
the  study  of  Malory,  Tennyson,  etc. 

"  Winners  in  Life's  Race,"  and  "  Life  and  her  Children," 
by  Miss  Arabella  Buckley.  Books  that  charm  many  chil- 
dren of  eight  or  nine. 

Fairy  Frisket ;  or.  Peeps  at  Insect  Life.     Nelson  &  Sons. 

Physiology,  with  pictures. 

Queer  Little  People,  Mrs.  Stowe. 

Kmgsley's  "  Water  Babies."  A  beautiful  book,  as  indeed  are 
all  of  Kingsley's. 

Longfellow's  "  Building  of  the  Ship." 

The  Fountam,  Lowell. 

Ye  Mariners  of  England,  Campbell. 

Carleton's  "  Farm  Ballads  and  Farm  Legends."  Humorous, 
pathetic,  sensible. 


FORMATION    OP^   A   GOOD   READING   HABIT.        II 5 

Literatitre  adapted  to  a  CJiild  Nine  to  Ten    Years  of 
Age  and  npivard. 

Story  of  a  Bad  Boy,  Aldrich.    A  splendid  book  for  boys. 
Boys  of '76,  Coffin.     An  eight-year-old  boy  read  it  five  times, 

he  was  so  pleased  with  it. 
New  Year's  Bargain,  Coolidge. 
Pussy  Willow,  Stovve. 

Hanson's  "  Homer  and  Virgil."    Brief,  clear,  simple,  clean. 
Stories  from  Homer,  Hanson. 
Stories  from  Pliny,  White. 
Grimm's  "  Fairy  Tales." 
Legend  of  Sleeping  Beauty. 
Clodd's  ''  The  Childhood  of  the  World."     A  splendid  book 

to  teach  children  the  development  of  the  world. 
'*  Friends  in  Feathers  and  Fur,"  "  Wings  and  Fins,"  "  Paws 

and   Claws,"  by  Johonnot.     Books  much  liked  by  the 

little  ones. 
First  Book  of  Zoology,  Morse. 
Halleck's  ^'  Marco  Bozzaris." 
Wordsworth's  "  Peter  Bell." 
Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  Strickland. 
The  Prince  and  the  Pauper,  Twain.     A  book  that  mingles 

no  small  amount  of  sense  with  its  abounding  fun  and 

occasional  tragedy. 

Literature  adapted  to  a  Child  Ten  or  Eleven  Years  of 

Age  and  upward. 
Being  a  Boy,  Warner. 
Little  Women,  Alcott.     One  of  the  most  popular  books  of 

the  day. 
A  Dog's  Mission,  Stowe. 


Il6  WHAT  TO   GIVE   THE   CHILDREN. 

Two  Years  before  the  Mast,  Dana.  Recommended  by  Sarah 
Orne  Jewett,  George  WiUiam  Curtis,  and  others. 

Ten  Boys  on  the  Road,  Andrews.  A  great  favorite  with 
the  boys. 

Jan  of  the  Windmill,  Ewing.  The  story  of  a  poor  boy  who 
becomes  a  famous  painter. 

Hawthorne's  "  Celestial  Railroad." 

Little  People  of  Asia,  Miller. 

Hawthorne's  "  Tangl^wood  Tales"  and  "Wonder  Book  " 
should  belong  to  every  child  old  enough  to  read  ordinary 
English. 

Adventures  of  a  Brownie,  Craik. 

Stories  from  Chaucer,  Seymour. 

Stories  from  Livy,  Church. 

Lives  of  the  Philosophers,  Fenelon.     An  excellent  book. 

What  Darwin  saw  in  his  Trip  round  the  World  in  the  Ship 
Beagle. 

Fairy  Land  of  Science,  Miss  Buckley.  An  author  who  writes 
for  children  to  perfection. 

Animal  Life  in  the  Sea  and  on  the  Land,  Cooper.  Very  fine 
indeed. 

Darwin's  chapter  on  the  "  Habits  of  Ants  "  (in  the  "  Origin  of 
Species  ")  is  very  interesting  and  amusing  to  little  ones, 
and  together  with  Burroughs'  books  prepares  them  to 
read  such  works  as  Lubbock's  "  Ants,  Bees,  and  Wasps." 

Ragozin's  "  Chaldea."  One  of  the  indispensable  books  for 
children. 

Longfellow's  "  Psalm  of  Life." 

Longfellow's  "  Hiawatha." 

Lowell's  "  Under  the  Old  Elm." 

Wordsworth's  "White  Doe  of  Rylstone." 

Lamb's  Essay  on  Roast  Pig.  A  piece  of  fun  always  en- 
joyed by  boys  and  girls. 


FORMATION   OF   A   GOOD   READING    HABIT.         11/ 


Literature  adapted  to  a  Child  Eleven  to  Twelve  Years 
of  Age  and  upward. 

Shakspeare's  "  Merchant  of  Venice." 

Marcus  Aurelius.     In  a  school  where  the  book  was  at  their 
call  children  from  ten  to  thirteen  carried  it  to  and  from 
school,  charmed  with  its  beautiful  thoughts, 
Hans  Brinker,  Mary  Mapes  Dodge.     One  of  the  very  best 

stories  for  children. 
Dickens'  "  Christmas  Carol." 
Hawthorne's  "  Great  Stone  Face."     Highly  appreciated  by 

the  young  folks. 
Uncle  Tom's  Cabm,  Mrs.  Stowe.     A  book  that  every  child 

should  have  as  soon  as  he  is  able  to  read  it. 
Another  Flock  of  Girls,  Nora  Perry. 
At  the  Back  of  the  North  Wind,  Macdonald.     A  beautiful 

story,  with  a  high  motive. 
A  Hunting  of  the  Deer,  Warner. 
Crusade  of  the  Children,  Gray.     A  thrilHng  story. 
Bryant's  translation  of  the  Odyssey. 
Story  of  the  Iliad,  Church. 
Stories  from  Herodotus,  Church. 
Mary  Treat's  "  Home  Book  of  Nature." 
Half  Hours  with  the  Stars,  Proctor. 
Guyot's  "  Earth  and  Man."     A  most  excellent  book. 
First  Book  in  Geology,  Shaler. 
First  Steps  in  Chemistry,  Brewster. 
First  Steps  in  Scientific  Knowledge,  Best. 
Abou  Ben  Adhem,  Hunt. 
Scott's  "  Lady  of  the  Lake." 
Macaulay's  "  Lays  of  Ancient  Rome." 


Il8  WHAT   TO    GIVE   THE   CHILDREN. 

Longfellow's  "Tales  of  a  Wayside  Inn." 

Whittier's  "  Snow  Bound." 

How  they  Brought  the  Good  News  to  Aix,  Browning. 

Wordsworth's  "  \\e  are  Seven." 

Franklin's  Autobiography. 

Lincoln's  Gettysburg  Speech. 

Samantha  at  the  Centennial. 

Literature  adapted  to  a  Child  Twelve  to  TJiirteen  Years 
of  Age  and  upward. 

Shakspeare's  "Juhus  Caesar." 

Pilgrim's  Progress,  Bunyan.     Indispensable. 

Meditation  of  Thomas  a  Kerapis.  A  strong  influence  for 
sweetness  and  purity. 

Vicar  of  Wakefield,  Goldsmith.  Full  of  fun  and  good  feel- 
ing ;  one  of  the  most  indispensable  of  books. 

Cooper's  novels,  especially  '*The  Spy"  and  the  "Last  of  the 
Mohicans."'    Books  that  are  fascinating  and  yet  wholesome. 

"  My  Summer  in  a  Garden,"  and  "•  In  the  Wilderness," 
Warner.     Very  humorous. 

"  The  Dog  of  Flanders,"  from  ''  Little  Classics." 

Picciola,  Saintine.     A  great  favorite. 

The  Story  of  Arnon,  Ame'he  Rives. 

Drake's  "  Culprit  Fay." 

Dr.  Brown's  "  Rab  and  his  Friends." 

"The  Man  without  a  Country,"  "My  Double  and  How  He 
Undid  Me,"  etc.,  by  E.  E.  Hale.  The  cast  is  extremely 
funny. 

The  Hoosier  Schoolmaster,  Eggleston. 

'Boots  and  Saddles,  Mrs.  Custer. 

Story  of  the  yEneid,  Church. 


FORMATION    OF  A   GOOD    READING   HABIT.         II9 

Stories  from  Greek  Tragedians,  Church. 

Plumptre's  *' Sophocles." 

Ruskin's  ''Athena." 

Boys  and  Girls  in  Biology,  Stevenson. 

Other  Worlds  than  Ours,  Proctor. 

Captains  of  Industry,  Barton. 

Lowell's  "Vision  of  Sir  Launfal."  One  of  the  great  poet's 
finest  productions. 

Byron's  "Eve  of  Waterloo." 

Longfellow's  "  Evangeline." 

Scott's  "Marmion." 

Milton's  "  Comus." 

"  The  Two  Runaways,"  "  The  Born  Inventor,"  "  Idyl  of  Sin- 
kin'  Mountain,"  etc.,  by  Edwards.     Very  funny. 


Literature  adapted  to  a   Child  Thirteen  to  Fourteen 
Years  of  Age  and  upward. 

Sliakspeare's  "  Coriolanus  "  and  "  Taming  of  the  Shrew." 

Scott's  "  Ivanhoe,"  "  Heart  of  Midlothian,"  "  Guy  Manner- 
ing,"  etc.  It  is  the  making  of  a  boy  if  he  learns  to  love 
Scott.  He  will  make  a  gentleman  of  him,  and  give  him 
an  undying  love  of  good  literature. 

Journal  of  Eugenie  de  Guerin.  Full  of  delicacy  and  quiet 
strength. 

Tom  Brown,  Hughes.     An  universal  favorite. 

Curtis'  "  Prue  and  I."  One  of  the  very  choicest  books, 
both  in  substance  and  expression,  —  especially  remark- 
able for  its  moral  suggestiveness. 

Craddock's  "  Floating  down  Lost  Creek."     Most  excellent. 

Dr.    Jekyll   and   Mr.    Hyde,   Stevenson.      A   story   with   a 


I20  WHAT   TO   GIVE   THE    CHILDREN. 

powerful  moral,  —  if  we  give  scope  to  our  evil  nature,  it 

will  master  us. 
Goldsmith's  '^  Good-Natured  Man." 
Carlyle's  ''  Heroes  and  Hero  Worship." 
Ben  Hur,  Wallace. 
The  Fool's  Errand,  Tourgee. 
The  Boys'  King  Arthur,  Lanier. 
Epictetus. 

Physiology  for  Girls,  Shepard. 
Physiology  for  Boys,  Shepard. 
What  Young  People    should    Know,  Wilder.     A  book  that 

no  boy  or  girl  should  be  without. 
How  Plants  Behave,  Gray. 
Goethe's  '•  Erl  King." 

Browning's  "  Ivan  Ivanovitch."     A  favorite. 
The    Forsaken    Merman,    Matthew    Arnold.     An    exquisite 

poem. 
Longfellow's  "  Miles  Standish." 
Scott's  "  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel." 
The  Veiled  Statue  of  Truth.  Schiller. 
Giitenburg,  and  the  Art  of  Printing. 
Doyle's  "  United  States  History." 
John  Bright's  "  Speeches  on  the  American  Question." 
Backlog  Studies,  Warner. 
"  Encyclopaedia  of  Persons  and  Places,"  and  "  Encyclopaedia 

of  Common  Things,"  by  Champlin,  should  be  within  the 

reach  of  every  child  over  twelve    or  thirteen  years   of 

age. 


FORMATION   OF   A   GOOD    READING   HABIT.         121 

Literature   adapted  to  a    Child  Fourteen    to   Fifteen 

Years  of  Age. 

Shakespeare's  "  Henry  Fourth  "  and  "  Henry  Fifth." 
Autocrat    of  the    Breakfast-Table,     Hohnes ;     and     Irving's 

"  Sketch  Book."    Two  of  the  best  books  in  all  the  world. 
George  Eliot's  novels,  especially  ''  Silas  Marner,"   "The  Mill 

on  the  Floss,"  "  Romola,"  and  ^' Adam  Bede." 
The  Wit  and  Wisdom  of  George  Eliot. 
Our  Best  Society,  Curtis. 
Bulwer's  "  Rienzi." 
The  Marl^le  Faun,  Hawthorne. 
Sad  Little  Prince,  Fawcett. 

Chita,  or  Youma,  by  Hearn,  a  master  of  English  style. 
Grande  Pointe,  Cable. 
La  Fontaine's  Fables. 
Plutarch's  ''  Morals." 
Ethics  of  the  Dust,  Ruskin. 
Lady  How. and  Madam  Why,  Kingsley. 
Sketches  of  Creation,  Winchell.     Very  interesting  to  children 

of  fourteen  or  fifteen. 
The  Geological  Story,  Briefly  Told,  Dana. 
Ready  for  Business,  or  Choosing  an  Occupation,  Fowler  and 

Wells. 
Ode  to  a  Skylark,  Shelley. 
Birds  of  Aristophanes.  Frere. 
Alfred  the  Great,  Hughes. 
Plutarch's  "  Lives." 

Green's  "  Short  History  of  the  English  People." 
Demosthenes  on  the  Crown.     The  finest  of  all  orations. 
The  Biglow  Papers,  Lowell.     The  best  of  fun  and  sense. 
Sweet  Cicely,  Holley.    Quiet  humor  and  unfailmg  wisdom. 
Higginson's  "  Vacations  for  Saints."     A  splendid  example  of 

humorous  writing. 


122  WPIAT   TO    GIVE   THE   CHILDREN. 

Liter atm'e    adapted   to   a    Child   Fifteen    to    Sixteen 
Years  of  Age  and  upward. 

Shakspeare's  "  Hamlet  "  and  "  The  Tempest." 

Dante's  "  Inferno." 

Dickens'   "  Pickwick   Papers/'   "  David  Copperfield,''  "  Old 

Curiosity  Shop,"  etc. 
Thackeray's  "Vanity  Fair." 
Tourge'e's  '•  Hot  Plowshares  ,  "  and  "  With  Fire  and  Sword," 

by  Sienkiewicz.     Two  of  the  greatest  historical  novels. 
Carlyle's  "  Past  and  Present."  • 
Arnold's  "  Sweetness  and  Light." 
Raskin's  "Crown  of  Wild  Olive." 

Emerson's  Essays  on   "  Manners,"   "  Self- Reliance,"    "  Elo- 
quence," "'  Friendship,"  "  Representative  Men,"  etc. 
Mrs.  Whitney's    "Sights    and    Insights."      A   book   that   is 

filled  with  beautiful  thoughts  and  unselfish  actions. 
Spencer's  "'  Data  of  Ediics."     Indispensable  to  a  complete 

understanding  of  ethical  subjects, 
"The  Licrht  of  Asia."     A  book  that   cannot  fail  to  broaden 

and  deepen  every  life  it  touches. 
Ten  Great  Religions,  Clarke. 
Omar.     Superb  poetry. 
Bryant's  "Thanatopsis." 
Coleridge's  "  Ancient  Mariner."    A  lesson  of  the  awfulness 

of  cruelty. 
Auld  Lang  Syne,  Burns. 
Toilers  of  the  Sea,  Hugo. 
Huxley's  "  Man's  Place  in  Nature." 
Tyndall"s  "'  Forms  of  Water." 
Our   Country,    Strong.      A  book  that  ought  to    be    in    the 

hands  of  every  young  person. 


SPECIAL   STUDIES.  123 

Bryce's  "American  Commonwealth." 

Guizot's  "  History  of  Civilization." 

Mill's  ''  Logic."  No  young  man  can  afford  to  remain  un- 
acquainted with  this  book. 

The  Hand  and  Ring,  Green.  One  of  the  finest  examples 
of  reasoning  in  the  language. 

Poe's  "  Murders  in  the  Rue  Morgue  "  is  another  such  ex- 
ample, and  his  "  Gold  Bug  "  is  another. 

Phillips'  Speeches 

Webster's  "  Liberty  and  Union." 

Golden  Treasury,  Palgrave. 

The  Spectator.  One  of  the  very  best  books  to  study,  in 
order  to  form  a  good  style.  Franklin  and  others  attrib- 
ute their  success  largely  to  reading  it  carefully  in  boyhood. 

The  Fable  for  Critics,  Lowell. 

The  Yankee  at  the  Court  of  King  Arthur,  Twain.  Fun  and 
sense  welded  together  to  make  the  most  delightful  book 
the  author  has  written. 


SPECIAL   STUDIES. 

Next  in  value  to  a  love  of  good  reading  is  a  habit  of 
concentrating  the  attention  upon  one  subject  through 
a  long  course  of  reading.  In  this  way  only  can  any 
thorough  mastery  be  obtained.  The  child  should  be 
taught  not  to  be  satisfied  with  the  thought  of  any 
one  writer,  but  to  investigate  the  ideas  of  all  upon 
the  topic  in  hand,  and  then  form  his  own  opinion. 
Thus  he  will  gain  breadth,  depth,  tolerance,  indepen- 
dence, and  scientific  method  in  the  search  for  truth. 
Of  course  it  is  impossible  in  a  work  of  this  kind  to 


124  WHAT   TO   GIVE  THE   CHILDREN. 

map  out  lines  of  study  for  the  multitudinous  needs  of 
young  people.  The  universities  and  the  libraries 
provide  the  means  of  gaining  full  information  as  to 
the  literature  of  any  subject  that  may  be  selected. 
A  few  topic-clusters  may,  however,  be  of  use  here  in 
the  way  of  illustration.  Many  examples  will  be  found 
in  Baldwin's  "  The  Book  Lover." 

The  Industrial  Question.  —  Suppose  a  young  man  de- 
sired to  study  the  industrial  question,  which  is  one  of 
the  most  important  subjects  of  to-day,  the  proper 
method  would  be  to  go  to  one  of  the  great  libraries, 
or  examine  the  catalogues  of  the  large  publishing- 
houses,  to  discover  the  names  of  recent  books  on 
the  given  topic,  or  on  such  subjects  as  Labor  and 
Capital,  Socialism,  Co-operation,  etc.  Such  books 
usually  refer  to  others,  and  name  many  kindred 
works  on  the  last  pages.  Thus  the  student's  list  will 
swell.  I  have  myself  investigated  more  than  two 
hundred  books  on  this  topic  and  those  it  led  me  to. 
A  few  of  the  more  important  I  will  name  as  a  start- 
ing-point for  any  one  wishing  to  follow^  this  research. 

Labor,  Thornton. 

Conflict  of  Labor  and  Capital,  Bolles  ;  also,  Howell. 

Political  Economy,  Mill. 

Progress  and  Poverty,  George. 

Profit-Sharing,  Oilman. 

In  Darkest  England,  Booth. 

Wages  and  the  Wages  Class,  Walker. 

Book  of  the  New  Moral  World,  Owen. 

Communistic  Societies  of  the  United  States,  Nordhoff. 

Dynamic  Sociology,  Ward. 


SPECIAL   STUDIES.  I25 

Looking  Backward,  Bellamy. 

Destinee  Sociale,  Consid^rant. 

More's  "Utopia." 

Co-operative  Societies,  Watts. 

History  of  Co-operation,  Holyoake. 

The  Margin  of  Profits,  Atkinson. 

Gronlund's  "  Co-operative  Commonwealth." 

Capital,  Karl  Marx. 

The  State  in  relation  to  Labor,  Jevons. 

Organisation  du  Travail,  Louis  Blanc. 

Co-operative  Stores,  Morrison. 

Labor  and  Capital,  Jervis- 

Newton's  "  Co-operative  Production  and  Co-operative 
Distribution  in  the  United  States." 

Property  and  Progress,  Mallock. 

Principles  of  Sociology,  Spencer. 

Mill  on  Socialism. 

The  Progress  of  the  Working  Classes,  GifFen. 

Ely's  "  French  and  German  Socialism,"  "  Problems  of  To- 
day," and  "  Labor  Movement  in  America." 

Dilke's  "  Problems  of  Greater  Britain." 

Contemporary  Socialism,  Rae. 

Outlines  of  an  Industrial  Science,  Symes. 

Early  History  of  Land-holding  among  the  Germans, 
Ross  :  etc. 

Malthusianism.  —  To  take  a  smaller  example.  Sup- 
pose the  student  wishes  to  make  a  thorough  study  of 
the  doctrine  of  Malthusius  in  regard  to  population, 
he  will  have  to  refer  to  Macaulay's  "  Essay  on  Sad- 
ler," and  the  works  on  Political  Economy  of  Ricardo, 
Chalmers,  Roscher,  etc.,  in  support  of  Malthus,  and 


126  WHAT   TO   GIVE   THE    CHILDREN. 

to  George's  "  Progress  and  Poverty,"  Spencer's  "  Bi- 
ology "  (Vol.  II.),  Sadler's  "Law  of  Population,"  and 
the  works  of  Godwin,  Greg,  Rickards,  Doubleday, 
Carey,  Alison,  etc.,  against  him. 

For  an  example  of  a  very  different  kind,  cluster 
about  the  myth  of  Cupid  the  poems  "  Cupid  and 
my  Campaspe,"  by  Lilly;  **  The  Threat  of  Cupid," 
translated  by  Herrick;  *'  Cupid  Drowned,"  by  Leigh 
Hunt;   and  "  Cupid  Stung,"  by  Moore. 

A  great  deal  depends  on  selecting  some  depart- 
ment of  thought  and  exhausting  it.  To  know  some- 
thing of  everything  and  everything  of  something  is 
the  true  aim.  If  a  child  displays  fine  musical  or 
artistic  ability,  among  the  books  given  it  ought  to 
be  many  that  bear  upon  music  and  art,  —  the  "Au- 
tobiography of  Rubenstein  ;"  the  Lives  of  Beethoven, 
Mozart,  Schubert,  Chopin,  Mendelssohn ;  and  Rock- 
sho's  "  History  of  Music,"  Upton's  "  Woman  in  Mu- 
sic," Clayton's  "  Queens  of  Song,"  Lillie's  "  Music  and 
the  Musician,"  Haweis'  "  Music  and  Morals,"  Jame- 
son's "Lives  of  the  Painters,"  Crowest's  "Tone  Poets," 
Clement's  "  Painting  and  Sculpture,"  Mereweather's 
"  Semele,  or  the  Spirit  of  Beauty,"  etc. 

Probably  these  examples,  with  those  to  be  found 
in  the  notes  to  Table  I.,  are  amply  sufficient  to  show 
what  is  meant  by  grouping  the  lights  of  literature 
about  a  single  point  so  as  to  illuminate  it  intensely; 
but  one  more  specimen  will  be  given,  because  of  the 
interest  the  subject  has  for  us  now  and  is  likely  to 
have  for  many  years. 


SPECIAL   STUDIES.  12/ 

The  Tariff  Question  may  be  studied  in  Ely's  *'  Prob- 
lems of  To-day,"  Greeley's  "  Political  Economy," 
Carey's  '*  Principles  of  Social  Science,"  E.  P.  Smith's 
"  Manual  of  Political  Economy,"  Byles's  "  Sophisms 
of  Free  Trade,"  Thompson's  **  Social  Science  and 
National  Economy,"  Bastiat's  "Sophisms  of  Protec- 
tion," Mill's  '*  Political  Economy,"  Sumner's  '*  Lec- 
tures on  the  History  of  Protection  in  the  United 
States,"  Fawcett's  **  Free  Trade  and  Protection,"  Mon- 
gredien's  "  History  of  the  Free  Trade  Movement," 
Butt's  "Protection  Free  Trade,"  Walters'  "What  is 
Free  Trade,"  "  The  Gladstone-Blaine  Debate,"  etc. 


128 


TABLE    V. 


Showing  the  Distribution  of  the  Best  Literature  in  Time  a?id  Space,  with  a 
Parallel  Reference  to  some  of  the  World's  Great  Eve7its. 

[It  was  impossible  to  get  the  writers  of  the  eighteenth  and  nineteenth  centuries  into 
the  unit  space.  The  former  fills  a  space  twice  the  unit  width,  and  the  latter,  when 
it  is  complete,  will  require  five  units.] 


Greece 
Homer 
Hesiod 

B.C. 
1000 

900 

Israel 
David,  The 
Psalms 

800 

Rome  founded 

^sop 

700 

600 

India 
Buddha 

Nebuchadnezzar,  king  of 
Babylon 

Republic  established  at 
Rome 

The  Golden  Age  of  Grecian  Literature 
Pindar               ..^scliylus          Herodotus 
Soplincles          Thucvdides 
Pericles              Euripides          Xenophon 
Aristophanes 

Socrates 

500 

Mahabharata 
Ramayana 
(Epics  of  India) 

Darius,  king  of  Persia 

Greece 

Battle  of  Marathon 
"       "   Thermopylae 
"       "    Salamis 

Cincinnatus  at  Rome 

Ezra  at  Jerusalem 

DISTRIBUTION   OF   THE   BEST   LITERATURE. 


129 


Plato 

Aristotle 

Demosthenes 

400 

Alexander 

The  Gauls  bum  Rome 

300 

Wars  of  Rome  against  Car- 
thage 
Hannibal  in  Italy 

200 
100 

Greece  becomes  a  Roman 
Province 

Rome 

■  The  Gracchi,  Marius,  and 
Sylla 

Rome.     Augustan  Age,  31  b.  c  to  a.  d    14. 
Reatinus            Ovid 
Sallust                Livy 
Cicero                Lucretius 

Virgil 

Rome 
Julius  Caesar 
Ponipey 

Civil  War,  Empire  estab- 
lished 

Tacitus 
Plutarch           Juvenal 
Pliny 

A.D. 

Josephus 

Jerusalem  taken  by  Titus 
Pompeii  overwhelmed 
Romans  conquer  Britain 

Epictetus 
Marcus  Aurelius 

100 

Church  Fathers 

300 

Aurelian  conquers  Zenobia 

I30 


TABLE    V. 


300 

Under  Constantine  Christian- 
ity becomes  the  State  re-' 
ligion                                      ' 

Roman  Empire  divided            •■ 

400 

Angles  and  Saxons  drive  out 

the  Britons 
Huns  imder  Attila  invade_  the 

Roman  Empire 

500 

Christianity  carried  to  Eng- 
land by  Augustine 

English  Literature 
Caedmon 

600 

Arabia 
Mahomet 

Baeda 
Cynewulf 

700 

France 
Charlemagne  founds  the 
Empire  of  the  West 

iElfred,  850-900 

800 

Danes  overrun  England 
j^lfrecTs  glorious  reign 

900 

* 

Chivalry  beghis 
Capetian  kings  in  France 

England 

Sa  nt  Dunstan 
Papal  supremacy 

DISTRIBUTION   OF  THE  BEST   LITERATURE. 


131 


1000 

Persia 

Firdusi's  Shah 
Nameh 

England 

Canute  the  Great 

1066.   Nortiian  Conquest 

Peter  the  Hermit 
First  Crusade 

Geoffrey  of  Monmouth 

1100 

Persia 

Omar  Khayyam 
Germany 

Nibelungenlied 
Spain 

Chronicle  of  the 
Cid 

England 
Plantaeenets 
Richard  I. 

France 

Second  and  Third  Crusades 
Saint  Bernard 

Layamon 
Roger  Bacon 

1300 

Persia 
Saadi 

England 

1215.    Runnymede,  Magna 

Charta 
Edward  I. 

Mandeville 

l.angland 

Wyc'.iffe            Chaucer 

Gower 

1300 
1400 

Italy 
Dante 
Petrarch 
Boccaccio 

Persia 
Hafiz 

England 

ChivaW  at  its  height 
The  Black  Prince 
Gunpowder 

France 
Battles  of  Crecy,  Poictiers, 
and  Agincourt 

Lydgate 

Fortescue 

Malory 

Germany 

Thomas  a  Kem- 
pis 
Arabian  Nights 

(probably) 
Persia 
Jami 

Encjland 

Henry  VIII.  shook  off  the 
Pope 
Movable  Tyf>es 
Discovery  of  A  merka 
Joan  of  Arc 
Wars  of  the  Roses 

More                  Ascham 

Lyly                   Sackville 

Sidney 

Marlowe            Fox 

Spenser             Hooker 

1500 

Italy 
Ariosto 
Tasso 
Galileo 

France 
Montaigne 

Copernicus 

Kepler 

The  A  rniada 

England 

Henry  VIII  ,  Elizabeth 
Germany 

1 515.  Lrdher' s Reformation 
France 

Massacreof  St. Bartholomew 

Jonson               Bacon                 Herbert 
Siiakspeare       Newton              J.  Taylor 
Chapman                                      Hobbes 
Beaumont  &                                Walton 

Fletcher                                    S.  Butler 
Milton               Locke 
Bunvan              Pepys 
Dryden 

1600 

Spain.  Cervantes 

Calderon 
Germany.   Kepler 
France.  Descartes 

Corneille 

Racine 

Mo'iere 

La  Fontaine 

1620.  Plymouth  Rock  and  the 

*'  Mayflower" 
1649  Croniivell 
16'So  Restoration 
1688  Revolution 

William  and  Mary 
France.  Louis  XIV. 

n2 


TABLE  V. 


Addison 

Cowper 

Otis 

1700 

France 

1776. 

American  Revolution 

Steele 

Burns 

Jay 

Montesquieu 

17S9- 

94.    French  Revolution 

Pope 

Rogers 

Adams 

Le  Sage 

Defoe 

Hume 

Hamilton 

Rousseau 

England 

Swift 

Edwards 

Madison 

Voltaire 

Marlborough 

Berkeley 

A.  Smith 

Jefferson 

J.  Butler 

Bentham 

Pitt 

Germany 

Sloore 

Gibbon 

Burke 

Munchausen 

Thomson 

Johnson 

Fox 

Lessing 

Young 

Boswell 

Erskine 

Gray 

Malthus 

P.  Henry. 

Goldsmith 

Mackintosh 

Sterne 

Paine 

Scott 

Herschel 

DeQiiineey 

1800 

Germany 

1807. 

Fulton's  Steamboat 

Byron 

.  Whewell 

Whately 

Schiller 

Wellington 

Bryant 

Ricardo 

Jeffrey 

Goethe 

1815. 

Waterloo 

Drake 

Carey 

Brougham 

Kant 

1815. 

White  wives  sold  in 

Wordsworth 

Faraday 

S.  Smith 

Ficlite 

England 

Keats 

Lyell  _ 

C    North 

Hesel 

1S30. 

Passenger  railway 

Shelley 

Agassiz 

N.  Webster 

Schelling 

1833. 

Matches 

Payne 

Whitney 

H.  H.  White 

Niebuhr 

Keble 

A.  Gray 

D.  Webster 

Schlosser 

Halleck 

Hallam 

Sparks 

Heine 

1844. 

Telegraph 

Key 

Prescott 

Story 

Haeckel 

1845. 

Mexican  War 

Macaulay 

Lewes 

Gould 

Helmholtz 

Hood 

Milman 

Cooper 

Grimm 

Poe 

Buckle 

Disraeli 

Froebel 

Read 

Merivale 

Dickens 

Tennyson 

Hildreth 

Thackeray 

France 

i860. 

Rebellion 

Browning 

Freeman 

Bronte 

La  Place 

1863. 

Emancipation 

Lowell 

Draper 

Hawthorne 

Guizot 

Longfellow 

Froude 

Irving 

De  I'ocqueville 

Carleton 

Walpole 

Hughes 

Comte 

Ingelow 

Lecky 

Kiiigsley 

Hugo 

Whittier 

Parkman 

Eliot 

Dumas 

1870. 

Franco-German  War 

Mill 

Bancroft 

Collins 

Balzac 

1874. 

The  Telephone 

Spencer 

Whipple 

Macdonald 

Renan 

Emancipation  of  serfs 

Ruskin 

Twain 

Hunt 

Tame 

in  Russia 

Arnold 

Jerrold 

Wallace 

Curtis 

Choate 

Clarke 

Russia 

Holmes 

Lincoln 

Landor 

Pushkin 

Mansel 

Phillips 

Tourgee 

Lermontoff 

Carlyle 

Everett 

Holland 

Bashkirtseff 

Emerson 

Sumner 

Howells 

Tolstoi 

Darwin 

Garfield 

Mrs.  Whitney 

Huxley 

Gladstone 

Miss  Alcott 

Denmark 

Dana 

A.  D.  White 

Bellamy 

Andersen 

Tyndall 

Beeclier 

Gronlund 

Lubbock 

P.  Brooks 

Gilman 

Poland 

Proctor 

Lamb 

Holley 

Sienkiewicz 

Davy 

Hazlitt 

Dodge 

Proctor 

Lamb 

Jewett 

Davy 

Hazlitt 

Burroughs 

Bright 

Fives 

St  owe 

Fiske 

Aldrich 

Heam 

Curtin 

Warner 

Burnett 

Hale 

Curtis 

Edwards 

Higginson 

1900 

REMARKS    ON  TABLE  V.  1 33 


REMARKS    ON    TABLE    V. 

Definitions  and  Divisions. — Literature  is  life  pulsing 
through  life  upon  life;  but  only  when  the  middle 
life  imparts  new  beauty  to  the  first  is  literature  pro- 
duced in  any  true  and  proper  sense.  The  last  life 
is  that  of  the  reader;  the  middle  one  that  of  the 
author;  the  first  that  of  the  person  or  age  he  pic- 
tures. Literature  is  the  past  pouring  itself  into  the 
present.  Every  great  man  consumes  and  digests  his 
own  times.  Shakspeare  gives  us  the  England  of 
the  1 6th  century,  with  the  added  qualities  of  beauty, 
ideality,  and  order.  When  we  read  Gibbon's  '*  Rome," 
it  is  really  the  life  of  all  those  turbulent  times  of 
which  he  writes  that  is  pouring  upon  us  through  the 
channels  of  genius.  Dante  paints  with  his  own  sub- 
lime skill  the  portraits  of  Italy  in  the  14th  century, 
of  his  own  rich,  inner  life,  and  of  the  universal  human 
soul  in  one  composite  masterpiece  of  art.  In  one 
of  Munchausen's  stories,  a  bugler  on  the  stage-top 
in  St.  Petersburg  was  surprised  to  find  that  the  bugle 
stopped  in  the  middle  of  the  song.  Afterward,  in 
Italy,  sweet  music  was  heard,  and  upon  investigation 
it  was  found  that  a  part  of  the  song  had  been  frozen 
in  the  instrument  in  Russia,  and  thawed  in  the  warmer 
air  of  Italy.  So  the  music  of  river  and  breeze,  of 
battle  and  banquet,  was  frozen  in  the  verse  of  Homer 


134  REMARKS    ON   TABLE   V. 

nearly  three  thousand  years  ago,  and  is  ready  at  any 
time,  under  the  heat  of  our  earnest  study,  to  pour  its 
harmony  into  our  lives. 

It  is  the  fact  that  beauty  is  added  by  the  author 
which  distinguishes  Literature  from  the  pictures  of  life 
that  are  given  to  us  by  newspaper  reporters,  tables 
of  statistics,  etc.  Literature  is  not  merely  life, —  it 
is  life  crystallized  in  art.  This  is  the  first  great  line 
dividing  the  Literary  from  the  Non-Literary.  The 
first  class  is  again  divided  into  Poetry  and  Prose. 
In  the  first  the  form  is  measured,  and  the  substance 
imagery  and  imagination.  In  the  latter  the  form  is 
unmeasured,  and  the  substance  direct.  Imagery  is 
the  heart  of  poetry,  and  rhythm  its  body.  The 
thought  must  be  expressed  not  in  words  merely,  but 
in  words  that  convey  other  thoughts  through  which 
the  first  shines.  The  inner  life  is  pictured  in  the 
language  of  external  Nature,  and  Nature  is  painted 
in  the  colors  of  the  heart.  The  poet  must  dip  his 
brush  in  that  eternal  paint-pot  from  which  the  for- 
ests and  fields,  the  mountains,  the  sky,  and  the  stars 
were  painted.  He  must  throw  human  life  out  upon 
the  world,  and  draw  the  world  into  the  stream  of  his 
own  thoucrht.  Sometimes  we  find  the  substance  of 
the  poetic  in  the  dress  of  prose,  as  in  Emerson's  and 
in  Ingersoll's  lectures,  and  then  we  have  the  prose 
poem ;  and  sometimes  we  find  the  form  of  poetry 
with  only  the  direct  expression,  which  is  the  sub- 
stance of  prose,  or  perhaps  without  even  the  sub- 
stance of  literary  prose,  as  in  parts  of  Wordsworth, 


REMARKS   ON  TABLE  V.  135 

Pope,  Longfellow,  Homer,  Tennyson,  and  even  some- 
times in  Shakspeare;  see,  for  example,  Tennyson's 
"  Dirge." 

Tests  for  the  Choice  of  Books.  —  In  deciding  which  of 
those  glorious  ships  that  sail  the  ages,  bringing  their 
precious  freight  of  genius  to  every  time  and  people, 
we  shall  invite  into  our  ports,  we  must  consider  the 
nature  of  the  crew,  the  beauty,  strength,  and  size  of 
the  vessel,  the  depth  of  our  harbor,  the  character  of 
the  cargo,  and  our  own  wants.  In  estimating  the 
value  of  a  book,  we  have  to  note  (i)  the  kind  of 
life  that  forms  its  material;  (2)  the  qualities  of  the 
author,  —  that  is,  of  the  life  through  which  the  stream 
comes  to  us,  and  whose  spirit  is  caught  by  the  cur- 
rent, as  the  breezes  that  come  through  the  garden 
bear  with  them  the  perfume  of  flowers  that  they 
touch;  (3)  the  form  of  the  book,  its  music,  sim- 
plicity, size,  and  artistic  shape;  (4)  its  merits,  com- 
pared with  the  rest  of  the  books  in  its  own  sphere  of 
thought;  (5)  its  fame;  (6)  our  abilities;  and  (7) 
our  needs.  There  result  several  tests  of  the  claims 
of  any  book  upon  our  attention. 

I.  What  effect  will  it  have  upon  character?  Will 
it  make  me  more  careful,  earnest,  sincere,  placid, 
sympathetic,  gay,  enthusiastic,  loving,  generous,  pure, 
and  brave  by  exercising  these  emotions  in  me,  and 
more  abhorrent  of  evil  by  showing  me  its  loathsome- 
ness ;  or  more  sorrowful,  fretful,  cruel,  envious,  vin- 
dictive, cowardly,  and  false,  less  reverent  of  right 
and    more   attracted    by  evil,   by   picturing  good   as 


136  REMARKS   ON   TABLE   V. 

coming  from  contemptible  sources,  and  evil  as 
clothed  with  beauty?  Is  the  author  such  a  man  as 
I  would  wish  to  be  the  companion  of  my  heart,  or 
such  as  I  must  study  to  avoid? 

II.  What  effect  will  the  book  produce  upon  the 
mind?  Will  it  exercise  and  strengthen  my  fancy, 
imagination,  memory,  invention,  originality,  insight, 
breadth,  common-sense,  and  philosophic  power? 
Will  it  make  me  bright,  witty,  reasonable,  and  tol- 
erant? Will  it  give  me  the  quality  of  intellectual 
beauty?  Will  it  give  me  a  deeper  knowledge  of 
human  life,  of  Nature,  and  of  my  business,  or  open 
the  doorways  of  any  great  temple  of  science  where  I 
am  as  yet  a  stranger?  Will  it  help  to  build  a  standard 
of  taste  in  literature  for  the  guidance  of  myself  and 
others?  Will  it  give  me  a  knowledge  of  what  other 
people  are  thinking  and  feeling,  thus  opening  the  ave- 
nues of  communication  between  my  life  and  theirs? 

III.  What  will  be  the  effect  on  my  skills  and  accom- 
plishments? Will  it  store  my  mind  full  of  beautiful 
thoughts  and  images  that  will  make  my  conversation 
a  delight  and  profit  to  my  friends?  Will  it  teach 
me  how  to  write  with  power,  give  me  the  art  of 
thinking  clearly  and  expressing  my  thought  with 
force  and  attractiveness?  Will  it  supply  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  best  means  of  attaining  any  other  de- 
sired art  or  accomplishment? 

IV.  Is  the  book  simple  enough  for  me?  Is  it  within 
my  grasp?  If  not,  I  must  wait  till  I  have  come  upon 
a  level  with  it. 


REMARKS   ON  TABLE   V.  1 3/ 

V.  Win  the  book  impart  a  pleasure  in  the  very 
reading?  This  test  alone  is  not  reliable;  for  till  our 
taste  is  formed,  the  trouble  may  not  be  in  it  but  in 
ourselves. 

VI.  Has  it  been  superseded  by  a  later  book,  or  has 
its  truth  passed  into  the  every-day  life  of  the  race? 
If  so,  I  do  not  need  to  read  it.  Other  things  equal, 
the  authors  nearest  to  us  in  time  and  space  have  the 
greatest  claims  on  our  attention.  Especially  is  this 
true  in  science,  in  which  each  succeeding  great  book 
sucks  the  life  out  of  all  its  predecessors.  In  poetry 
there  is  a  principle  that  operates  in  the  opposite 
direction ;  for  what  comes  last  is  often  but  an  imita- 
tion, that  lacks  the  fire  and  force  of  the  original.  Na- 
ture is  best  painted,  not  from  books,  but  from  her 
own  sweet  face. 

VII.  What  is  the  relation  of  the  book  to  the  com- 
pleteness of  my  development?  Will  it  fill  a  gap  in 
the  walls  of  my  building?  Other  things  equal,  I  had 
better  read  about  something  I  know  nothing  of  than 
about  somethincr  I  am  familiar  with ;  for  the  aim  is  to 
get  a  picture  of  the  universe  in  my  brain,  and  a  full 
development  of  my  whole  nature.  It  is  a  good  plan 
to  read  everything  of  something  and  something  of 
everything.  A  too  general  reader  seems  vague  and 
hazy,  as  if  he  were  fed  on  fog ;  and  a  too  special  reader 
is  narrow  and  hard,  as  if  fed  on  needles. 

VIII.  Is  the  matter  inviting  my  attention  of  perma- 
nent value?  The  profits  of  reading  what  is  merely  of 
the  moment  are  not  so  great  as  those  accruing  from 


138  REMARKS    ON  TABLE   V. 

the  reading  of  literature  that  is  of  all  time.  To 
hear  the  gossip  of  the  street  is  not  as  valuable  as 
to  hear  the  lectures  of  Joseph  Cook,  or  the  sermons 
of  Beecher  and  Brooks.  On  this  principle,  most  of 
our  time  should  be  spent  on  classics,  and  very  little 
upon  transient  matter.  There  is  a  vast  amount  of 
energy  wasted  in  this  country  in  the  reading  of  news- 
papers and  periodicals.  The  newspaper  is  a  wonder- 
ful thing.  It  brings  the  whole  huge  earth  to  me  in  a 
little  brown  wrapper  every  morning.  The  editor  is 
a  sort  of  travelling  stage-manager,  who  sets  up  his 
booth  on  my  desk  every  day,  bringing  with  him  the 
greatest  performers  from  all  the  countries  of  the 
world,  to  play  their  parts  before  my  eyes.  Yonder 
is  an  immense  mass-meeting;  and  that  mite,  brandish- 
ing his  mandibles  in  an  excited  manner,  is  the  great 
Mr.  So-and-So,  explaining  his  position  amid  the  tu- 
multuous explosions  of  an  appreciative  multitude. 
That  puffet  of  smoke  and  dust  to  the  right  is  a  revo- 
lution. There  in  the  shadow  of  the  wood  comes  an 
old  man  who  lays  down  a  scythe  and  glass  while  he 
shifts  the  scenes,  and  we  see  a  bony  hand  reaching 
out  to  snatch  back  a  player  in  the  midst  of  his  part, 
and  even  trying  to  clutch  the  showman  himself.  For 
three  dollars  a  year  I  can  buy  a  season  ticket  to 
this  great  Globe  theatre,  for  which  God  writes  the 
dramas,  whose  scene-shifter  is  Time,  and  whose  cur- 
tain is  rung  down  by  Death.^  But  theatre-going, 
if  kept   up  continuously,   is   very  enervating.     'T  is 

^  Adapted  from  Lowell. 


REMARKS    ON  TAELE   V.  1 39 

better  far  to  read  the  hand-bills  and  placards  at  the 
door,  and  only  when  the  play  is  great  go  in.  Glance 
at  the  head-lines  of  the  paper  always  ;  read  the  mighty 
pages  seldom.  The  editors  could  save  the  nation 
millions  of  rich  hours  by  a  daily  column  of  brief  but 
complete  statements  of  the  paper's  contents,  instead 
of  those  flaring  head-lines  that  allure  but  do  not  sat- 
isfy, and  only  lead  us  on  to  read  that  Mr,  Windbag 
nominated  Mr.  Darkhorse  amid  great  applause,  and 
that  Mr.  Darkhorse  accepted  in  a  three-column 
speech  skilfully  constructed  so  as  to  commit  him- 
self to  nothing;  or  that  Mr.  Bondholder's  daughter 
was  married,  and  that  Mrs.  So-and-So  wore  cream 
satin  and  point  lace,  with  roses,  etc. 

Intrinsic  Merit.  —  It  must  be  noted  that  the  tests  of 
intrinsic  merit  are  not  precisely  the  same  as  the  tests 
for  the  choice  of  books.  The  latter  include  the 
former  and  more.  Intrinsic  merit  depends  on  the 
character  impressed  upon  the  book  by  its  subject- 
matter  and  the  author;  but  in  determining  the  claims 
of  a  book  upon  the  attention  of  the  ordinary  English 
reader,  it  is  necessary  not  only  to  look  at  the  book  it- 
self, but  also  to  consider  the  needs  and  abilities  of  the 
reader.  One  may  not  be  able  to  read  the  book  that 
is  intrinsically  the  best,  because  of  the  want  of  time 
or  lack  of  sufficient  mental  development.  Green's 
**  Short  History  of  England  "  and  Dickens'  "  Child's 
History  of  England  "  may  not  be  the  greatest  works 
in  their  department,  but  they  may  have  the  greatest 
claims  on  the  attention  of  one  whose  time  or  ability  is 


140  REMARKS   ON  TABLE  V. 

limited.  A  chief  need  of  every  one  is  to  know  what 
others  are  thinking  and  feeHng.  To  open  up  avenues 
of  communication  between  mind  and  mind  is  one  of 
the  great  objects  of  reading.  Now  it  often  happens 
that  a  book  of  no  very  high  merit  artistically  con- 
sidered—  a  book  that  can  never  take  rank  as  a  classic 
—  becomes  very  famous,  and  is  for  a  time  the  subject 
of  much  comment  and  conversation.  In  such  cases 
all  who  would  remain  in  thorough  sympathy  with 
their  fellows  must  give  the  book  at  least  a  hasty 
reading,  or  in  some  way  gain  a  knowledge  of  its  con- 
tents. Intrinsically  *'  Robert  Elsmere  "  and  **  Look- 
ing Backward "  may  not  be  worthy  of  high  rank 
(though  I  am  by  no  means  so  sure  of  this  as  many 
of  the  critics  seem  to  be)  ;  but  their  fame,  joined  as 
it  is  with  high  motive,  entitles  them  to  a  reading. 

It  is  always  a  good  plan,  however,  to  endeavor  to 
ascertain  the  absolute  or  intrinsic  merit  of  a  book 
first,  and  afterward  arrive  at  the  relative  value  or 
claim  upon  the  attention  by  making  the  correction 
required  by  the  time  and  place,  later  publications 
in  the  same  department,  the  peculiar  needs  and  abili- 
ties of  readers,  etc. 

In  testing  intrinsic  worth  we  must  consider  — 

Motive. 

Magnitude. 

Unity. 

Universality. 

Suggestiveness. 

Expression. 


REMARKS    ON   TABLE  V.  I4I 

Motive. —  The  purpose  of  the  author  and  the  emo- 
tional character  of  the  subject  matter  are  of  great 
importance.  A  noble  subject  nobly  handled  begets 
nobility  in  the  reader,  and  a  spirit  of  meanness 
brought  into  a  book  by  its  subject  or  author  also 
impresses  itself  upon  those  who  come  in  contact 
with  it.  Kind,  loving  books  make  the  world  more 
tender-hearted  ;  coarse  and  lustful  books  degrade 
mankind.  The  nobility  of  the  sentiment  in  and 
underlying  a  work  is  therefore  a  test  of  prime 
importance. 

Whittier's  "  Voices  of  Freedom," 

Lowell's  "  Vision  of  Sir  Launfal," 

Tennyson's  "  Locksley  Hall," 

Warner's  "  A-Hunting  of  the  Deer," 

Shakspeare's  "  Coriolanus," 

Macaulay's  "  Horatius  "  and  "  Virginia," 

^schylus'  "  Prometheus," 

Dickens'  "  Christmas  Carol," 

Sewell's  "  Black  Beauty," 

Chaucer's  "  Griselda," 

Browning's  ''  Ivan  Ivanovitch," 

Arnold's  "  Forsaken  Merman,"  and  "  The  Light  of  Asia," 

are  fine  examples  of  high  motive. 

Magnitude.  —  The  grander  the  subject,  the  deeper 
the  impression  upon  us.  In  reading  a  book  like 
"  The  Light  of  Asia,"  that  reveals  the  heart  of  a  great 
religion,  or  Guizot's  ''  Civilization  in  Europe,"  that 
deals  with  the  life  of  a  continent,  or  Darwin's  '*  Ori- 
gin of  Species,"  or  Spencer's  *'  Nebular  Hypothesis," 


142  REMARKS    ON   TABLE   V. 

that  grapples  with  problems  as  wide  as  the  world 
and  as  deep  as  the  starry  spaces,  —  in  reading  such 
books  we  receive  into  ourselves  a  larger  part  of  the 
universe  than  when  we  devote  ourselves  to  the  his- 
tory of  the  town  we  live  in,  or  the  account  of  the 
latest  game  of  base  ball. 

Unity.  —  A  book,  picture,  statue,  play,  or  oratorio 
is  an  artistic  unity  when  no  part  of  it  could  be 
removed  without  injury  to  the  whole  effect.  True 
art  masses  many  forces  to  a  single  central  purpose. 
The  more  complex  a  book  is  in  its  substance  (not  its 
expression),  —  that  is  to  say,  the  greater  the  variety 
of  thoughts  and  feelings  compressed  within  its  lids, — 
the  higher  it  will  rank,  if  the  parts  are  good  in  them- 
selves and  are  so  related  as  to  produce  one  tre- 
mendous effect.  But  no  intrusion  of  anything  not 
essentially  related  to  the  supreme  purpose  can  be 
tolerated.  A  good  book  is  like  a  soldier  who  will 
not  burden  himself  with  anything  that  will  not  in- 
crease his  fighting  power,  because,  if  he  did,  its 
weight  would  diminish  his  fighting  force.  In  the 
same  way,  if  a  book  contains  unnecessary  matter,  a 
portion  of  the  attention  that  should  be  concentrated 
upon  the  real  purpose  of  the  volume,  is  absorbed 
by  the  superfluous  pages,  rendering  the  effect  less 
powerful  than  it  would  otherwise  be.  Most  of  the 
examples  of  high  motive  named  above,  would  be  in 
place  here,  especially,  — 

Prometheus.  '' 

The  Forsaken  Merman. 
The  Light  of  Asia. 


REMARKS    ON   TABLE   V.  1 43 

Other  fine  specimens  of  unity  are, — 

Holmes's  ''  Nautilus." 

Hood's  *'  Bridge  of  Sighs." 

Gray's  "  Elegy." 

Hunt's  ''  Abou  Ben  Adhem." 

Longfellow's  ^'  Psalm  of  Life." 

Whittier's  "  Barefoot  Boy." 

Shelley's  "  Ode  to  a  Skylark." 

Shelley's  "  Ode  to  the  West  Wind." 

Byron's  '•  Eve  of  Waterloo." 

Bryant's  "  Thanatopsis." 

Reed's  "Drifting."  ' 

Drake's  "  Culprit  Fay." 

Irving's  "Art  of  Bookmaking,"  etc.  (in  ''Sketch  Book"). 

Rives'  "  Story  of  Arnon." 

Dante's  "  Divine  Comedy." 

Schiller's  "  Veiled  Statue  of  Truth." 

Goethe's  "  Erl  King." 

Humor  alone  has  a  right  to  violate  unity  even  ap- 
parently;  and  although  wit  and  humor  produce  their 
effects  by  displaying  incongruities,  yet  underlying 
all  high  art,  in  this  department  as  in  others,  there  is 
always  a  deep  unity, —  a  truth  revealed  and  enforced 
by  the  destruction  of  its  contradictories  accomplished 
by  the  sallies  of  wit  and  humor. 

Universality.  —  Other  things  equal,  the  more  people 
interested  in  the  subject  the  more  important  the 
book.  A  matter  which  affects  a  million  people  is 
of  more  consequence  than  one  which  affects  only  a 
single  person.  National  affairs,  and  all  matters  of 
magnitude,  of  course  possess  this  quality;  but  magni- 


144  REMARKS    ON  TABLE   V. 

tude  is  not  necessary  to  universality,  —  the  thoughts, 
feeHngs,  and  actions  of  an  unpretentious  person  in 
a  little  village  may  be  types  of  what  passes  in  the 
life  of  every  human  being,  and  by  their  representa- 
tiveness attain  a  more  universal  interest  for  mankind 
than  the  business  and  politics  of  a  state. 

The  rules  of  tennis  are  not  of  so  wide  importance 
as  an  English  grammar,  nor  is  the  latter  so  uni- 
versal as  Dante's  "  Inferno  "  or  ''  The  Meditations  of 
Marcus  Aurelius,"  —  these  being  among  the  books 
that  in  the  highest  degree  possess  the  quality  under 
discussion.     Other  fine  examples  are  — 

Goethe's  "  Faust." 
Shakespeare's  Plays  and  Sonnets. 
Bunyan's  "Pilgrim's  Progress." 
Arnold's  "  Light  of  Asia." 
Bacon's  and  Emerson's  Essays. 
"  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin." 
Sevvell's  "  Black  Beauty." 
Eliot's  •'  Romola." 
Curtis'  "  Prue  and  I." 
Cooper's  '*  Last  of  the  Mohicans." 
Tourg^e's  "Hot  Plowshares." 
Irving's  "  Sketch  Book." 
Plato,  Spencer,  etc. 

In  fact,  all  books  that  express  love,  longing,  ad- 
miration, tenderness,  sorrow,  laughter,  joy,  victory 
over  nature  or  man,  or  any  other  thought  or  feeling 
common  to  men,  have  the  attribute  of  universality  in 
greater  or  less  degree. 


REMARKS   ON  TABLE  V.  1 45 

Sug^gestiveness.  —  Every  great  work  of  art  suggests 
far  more  than  it  expresses.  This  truth  is  illustrated  by- 
paintings  like  Bierstadt's  **  Yosemite  "  or  his  "  Drum- 
mer Boy,"  Millet's  *' Angelus,"  or  Turner's  "Slave 
Ship."  Statues  like  the  "  Greek  Slave  "  or  "  The 
Forced  Prayer;  "  speeches  like  those  of  Phillips,  Fox, 
Clay,  Pitt,  Bright,  Webster,  and  Brooks ;  songs  like 
"  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  '' My  Country,"  *' Douglas," 
"  Annie  Laurie  ;  "  and  books  like 

Emerson's  Essays. 

^schylus'  "  Prometheus." 

Goethe's  "  Faust  "  and  "  Wilhelm  Meister.'* 

Dante's  "  Divine  Comedy." 

"  Hamlet  "  and  many  other  of  Shakspeare's  Plays. 

Curtis'  "Prueand  I." 

The  Meditations  of  Marcus  Aurelius. 

The  Sermons  of  Phillips  Brooks  and  Robertson. 

''  My  Summer  in  a  Garden,"  by  Warner ;  etc. 

A  single  sentence  in  Emerson  often  suggests  a 
train  of  thought  that  would  fill  a  volume ;  and  a  sin- 
gle inflection  of  Patti's  voice  in  singing  **  Home,  Sweet 
Home"  will  fill  the  heart  to  overflowing. 

Expression. — Like  a  musician,  an  author  must  study 
technique.  A  book  may  possess  high  motive,  artis- 
tic unity,  universality,  suggestiveness,  magnitude  of 
thought,  and  yet  be  lacking  in  clearness,  purity, 
music,  smoothness,  force,  finish,  tone-color,  or  even 
in  proper  grammatical  construction.  The  style  ought 
to    be  carefully  adapted  to  the   subject  and  to  the 

10 


146  REMARKS    ON   TABLE   V. 

readers  likely  to  be  interested  in  it.  Force  and  beauty 
may  be  imparted  to  the  subject  by  a  good  style.  In 
poetry  beauty  is  the  supreme  object,  the  projection  of 
truth  upon  the  mind  being  subordinate.  Poetry  ex- 
presses the  truths  of  the  soul.  In  prose,  on  the  other 
hand,  truth  is  the  main  purpose,  and  beauty  is  used 
as  a  helper.  As  a  soldier  studies  his  guns,  and  a 
dentist  his  tools,  so  a  writer  must  study  the  laws  of 
rhythm,  accent,  phrasing,  alliteration,  phonetic  syzygy, 
run-on  and  double-ending  lines,  rhyme,  and,  last  but 
not  least,  the  melodies  of  common  speech.  The 
first  three  and  the  last  are  the  most  important,  and 
should  be  thoroughly  studied  in  Shakspeare,  Addi- 
son, Irving,  and  other  masters  of  style  by  every  one 
who  wishes  to  write  or  to  judge  the  work  of  others. 
Except  as  to  rhyme,  the  arts  of  writing  prose  and 
poetry  are  substantially  the  same.  Theoretically  there 
is  a  fundamental  difference  in  respect  to  rhythm,  — 
that  of  a  poem  being  limited  to  the  repetition  of 
some  chosen  type,  that  of  prose  being  unlimited. 
A  little  study  makes  it  clear,  however,  that  the 
highest  poetry,  as  that  of  Shakspeare's  later  plays, 
crowds  the  type  with  the  forms  of  common  speech ; 
while  the  highest  efforts  of  prose,  as  that  of  Addison, 
Irving,  Phillips,  Ingersoll's  oration  over  his  dead 
brother,  etc.,  display  rhythms  that  approach  the  or- 
der and  precision  of  poetry.  In  practice  the  best 
prose  and  the  best  poetry  approach  each  other  very 
closely,  moving  from  different  directions  toward  the 
same  point. 


REMARKS   ON   TABLE    V.  1 47 

It  is  of  great  advantage  to  form  the  habit  of 
noticing  the  tunes  of  speech  used  by  those  around 
us;  the  study  will  soon  become  very  pleasurable, 
and  will  be  highly  profitable  by  teaching  the  ob- 
server what  mode  of  expression  is  appropriate  to 
each  variety  of  thought  and  feeling.  There  is  a 
rhythm  that  of  itself  produces  a  comic  effect,  no 
matter  how  sober  the  words  may  be ;  and  it  is  the 
same  that  we  find  in  "  Pinafore,"  in  the  "  Mariner's 
Duet  "  in  the  opera  of  *'  Paul  Jones,"  and  in  the  min- 
strel dance.  For  fifteen  centuries  all  the  great  battle- 
songs  have  been  written  in  the  same  rhythm ;  they 
fall  into  it  naturally,  because  it  expresses  the  move- 
ment of  mighty  conflict.  See  Lanier's  "  Science  of 
English  Verse,"  pages  151  et  seq.y  231  et  seq.  This  is 
the  best  book  upon  technique ;  but  Spencer's  Essay  on 
the  Philosophy  of  Style,  and  Poe's  Essay  on  his  com- 
position of  "The  Raven"  should  not  be  overlooked. 
Franklin  and  many  others  have  discovered  the  laws  of 
style  simply  by  careful  study  of  the  "  Spectator." 

Of  course  it  is  not  easy  to  decide  the  true  rank  of 
a  book,  even  when  we  have  tested  it  in  respect  to 
all  the  elements  we  have  named.  One  book  may  be 
superior  in  expression,  another  in  suggestiveness,  and 
so  on.  Then  we  have  to  take  note  of  the  relative 
importance  of  these  various  elements  of  greatness. 
A  little  superiority  in  motive  or  suggestiveness  is 
worth  far  more  than  the  same  degree  of  superiority 
as  to  unity  or  magnitude.  A  book  filled  with  noble 
sentiment,    though    lacking   unity,    should    rank    far 


148  REMARKS   ON  TABLE   V. 

above  ^*  Don  Juan,"  or  any  other  volume  that  ex- 
presses the  ignoble  part  of  human  nature,  however 
perfect  the  work  may  be  from  an  artistic  point  of 
view.  Having  now  examined  the  tests  of  intrinsic 
merit,  let  me  revert  for  a  moment  to  my  remark,  a 
few  pages  back,  to  the  effect  that  "  Looking  Back- 
ward "  and  "  Robert  Elsmere  "  deserve  a  high  rank. 
They  are  books  of  lofty  aim,  great  magnitude  of  sub- 
ject and  thought,  fine  unity,  wide  itniversalityy  ex- 
haiistless  siiggestiveness,  and  more  than  ordinary 
power  of  expression.  Doubtless  they  are  not  abso- 
lute classics,  —  not  books  of  all  time,  —  for  their 
subjects  are  transitional,  not  eternal.  They  deal  with 
doubts,  religious  and  industrial ;  when  these  have 
passed  away,  the  mission  of  the  books  will  be  ful- 
filled, and  their  importance  will  be  less.  But  they 
are  relative  classics,  —  books  that  are  of  great  value 
to  their  age,  and  will  be  great  as  long  as  their  sub- 
jects are  prominent. 


SUPREME    BOOKS 


IN    THE 


Literatures  of  England,  America,  Greece, 
Rome,  Italy,  France,  Spain,  Germany,  Per- 
sia, Portugal,  Denmark,  Russia. 


iqo  PERIODS   OF   ENGLISH    LITERATURE. 


PERIODS   OF   ENGLISH   LITERATURE. 

The  highest  summit  of  our  literature  —  and  indeed 
of  the  literature  of  the  world  —  is  Shakspeare.  He 
brings  us  life  in  the  greatest  force  and  volume,  of  the 
highest  quality,  and  clothed  in  the  richest  beauty. 
His  age,  which  was  practically  identical  with  the 
reign  of  Elizabeth,  is  the  golden  age  of  English  let- 
ters ;  and  taking  it  for  a  basis  of  division,  we  have 
the  Pre-Shakspearian  Age  from  600  to  1559,  the 
Shakspearian  Age  from  1559  to  1620,  and  the  Post- 
Shakspearian  Age  from  1620  to  the  present. 

The  first  age  is  divided  into  three  periods. 

First,  the  Early  Period,  from  600  to  the  Norman 
Conquest  in  1066,  which  holds  the  names  of  Beo- 
wulf,^ Caedmon,^  Bseda,^  Cynewulf,  and  Alfred,  the 
great  king  who  did  so  much  for  the  learning  of  his 
country,  bringing  many  great  scholars  into  England 
from  all  over  the  world,  and  himself  writing  the  best* 
prose  that  had  been  produced  in  English,  and  chang- 
ing the  **  Anglo-Saxon  Chronicle"  —  till  his  time  a 

^  An  epic  poem,  full  of  the  life,  in  peace  and  war,  of  our 
Saxon  fathers  before  they  came  to  England. 

"^  The  writer  of  a  paraphrase  on  the  Bible  ;  a  feeble  Milton. 

8  A  very  learned  man,  who  gathered  many  scholars  about 
him,  and  who  finished  translating  the  Gospel  of  John  on  his 
death-bed  and  with  his  latest  breath. 


PERIODS    OF    ENGLISH    LITERATURE.  15 1 

mere  record  of  noble  births  and  deaths  —  into  a  val- 
uable periodical,  the  progenitor  of  the  vast  horde 
that  threatens  to  expel  the  classics  in  our  day.  The 
literature  of  this  period  has  little  claim  upon  us  ex- 
cept on  the  ground  of  breadth.  The  A7iglo-Saxon 
Chronicle,  and  the  poems  of  Beowulf ,  CcBdinoUy  and 
Cynewitlf,  should  be  glanced  at  to  see  what  sort 
of  people  our  ancestors  were. 

Second,  the  Period  of  Chaucer,  from  1066  to  the 
death  of  Chaucer  in  1400.  The  great  books  of 
this  period  were  Mandeville  s  Travels,  Langland's 
"  Piers  the  Ploughman."  Wyclifife's  translation  of  the 
Bible  (these  two  books,  with  Wycliffe's  tracts,  went 
all  over  England  among  the  common  people,  rous- 
ing them  against  the  Catholic  Church,  and  starting 
the  reformation  that  afterward  grew  into  Puritanism, 
and  gained  control  of  the  nation  under  Cromwell), 
Gower's  Poems,  and  Chmicers  Canterbury  Tales. 
Those  in  italics  are  the  only  books  that  claim  our 
reading.  Mandeville  travelled  thirty  years,  and  then 
wrote  all  he  saw  and  all  he  heard  from  the  mouth  of 
rumor.  Chaucer  is  half  French  and  two-thirds  Ital- 
ian. He  drank  in  the  spirit  of  the  Golden  Age  of 
Italy,  which  was  in  the  early  part  of  his  own  century. 
Probably  he  met  Petrarch  and  Boccaccio,  and  cer- 
tainly he  drew  largely  from  their  works  as  well  as 
from  Dante's,  and  he  dug  into  poor  Gower  as  into  a 
stone  quarry.  He  is  still  our  best  story-teller  in 
verse,  and  one  of  our  most  musical  poets ;  and  every 
one  should  know  something  of  this  '*  morning  star  of 


152  PERIODS   OF   ENGLISH    LITERATURE. 

English  poetry,"  by  far  the  greatest  light  before  the 
Elizabethan  age,  and  still  easily  among  the  first  five 
or  six  of  our  poets. 

Third,  the  Later  Period,  from  1400  to  1559,  in 
which  Malory's  Morte  UArtJiiir,  containing  frag- 
ments of  the  stories  about  King  Arthur  and  the 
knights  of  his  round  table,  which  like  a  bed-rock 
crop  out  so  often  in  English  Literature,  should  be 
read  while  reading  Tennyson's  **  Idylls  of  the  King," 
which  is  based  upon  Malory ;  and  Sir  Thomas  Mores 
Utopia  also  claims  some  attention  on  the  plea  of 
breadth,  as  it  is  the  work  of  a  great  mind,  thoroughly 
and  practically  versed  in  government,  and  sets  forth 
his  idea  of  a  perfect  commonwealth. 

In  this  age  of  nine  and  a  half  centuries  there  were, 
then,  ten  noteworthy  books  and  one  great  book ;  eight 
only  of  the  eleven,  however,  have  any  claim  upon 
our  attention,  the  last  three  being  all  that  are  en- 
titled to  more  than  a  rapid  reading  by  the  general 
student;  and  only  Chaucer  for  continuous  compan- 
ionship can  rank  high,  and  even  he  cannot  be  put 
on  the  first  shelf. 

In  the  Shakspearian  Age  the  great  books  were 
(i)  Roger  AscJianis  Schoolmaster,  which  was  a 
fine  argument  for  kindness  in  teaching  and  nobility 
in  the  teacher,  but  has  been  superseded  by  Spencer's 
"  Education."  (2)  Sackville's  Induction  to  a  se- 
ries of  political  tragedies,  called  **  A  Mirror  for  Mag- 
istrates."    The  poet  goes  down  into  hell  like  Dante, 


IN  THE   SHAKSPEARIAN  AGE.  153 

and    meets    Remorse,    Famine,   War,    Misery,   Care, 
Sleep,  Death,  etc.,  and  talks  with  noted  Englishmen 
who   had  fallen.     This  **  Mirror"  was  of  great  fame 
and  influence  in  its  day;  and  the  "  Induction,"  though 
far  inferior  to  both  Chaucer  and  Spenser,  is  yet  the  best 
poetic  work  done  in  the  time  between  those  masters. 
(3)    JoJin  Lyly's   Eiiphues,   a   book   that    expressed 
the  thought  of  Ascham's  "Schoolmaster"  in  a  style 
peculiar  for  its  puns,  antitheses,  and  floweriness,  —  a 
style  which  made  a  witty  handling  of  language  the 
chief  aim  of  writing.     Lyly  was  a  master  of  the  art, 
and  the  ladies  of  the  court  committed  his  sentences 
in  great  numbers,  that  they  might  shine  in  society. 
The  book  has  given  a  word    to   the  language ;   that 
affected  word-placing   style   is    known   as  eiiphiiistic. 
The  book  has  no  claims  upon  our  reading.     (4)  Sir 
Philip    Sidneys   Arcadia^    a    romance    in   the    same 
conceited  style  as  the  "'  Euphues,"  and  only  valuable 
as   a  mine  for  poetic  images.      (5)  Hooker's  Ecclesi- 
astical Polity,  which  was   a  defence   of  the   church 
system  against  the  Puritans.     The  latter  said  that  no 
such  system  of  church  government  could  be  found  in 
the  Bible,   and  therefore  should   not  exist.     Hooker 
answered  that  Nature  was  a  revelation  from  God  as 
well  as  the  Bible;   and  if  in  Nature  and  society  there 
were  good  reasons  for  the  existence  of  an  institution, 
that  was  enough.     The  book  is  not  of  importance  to 
the  general  reader  to-day,  for  the  truth  of  its  prin- 
ciples   is    universally   admitted.      (6)    TJie   Plays  of 
Marlowe,    a   very   powerful    but   gross    writer.     His 


154  PERIODS    OF   ENGLISH    LITERATURE. 

*'  Dr.  Faustus  "  may  very  properly  receive  attention, 
but  only  after  the  best  plays  of  Shakspeare,  Jonson, 
Calderon,  Racine,  Moliere,  Corneille,  ^Eschylus,  Soph- 
ocles, Euripides,  and  Aristophanes  have  been  care- 
fully read.  (7)  The  Plays  of  Beaumont  and  Fletcher, 
which  are  filled  with  beauty  and  imagination,  min- 
gled with  the  immodesty  and  vulgarity  that  were 
natural  to  this  age.  The  remark  just  made  about 
Marlowe  applies  here.  (8)  Fox  s  Book  of  Mar- 
tyrs, which  for  the  sake  of  breadth  should  be 
glanced  at  by  every  one.  The  marvellous  heroism 
and  devotion  to  faith  on  one  side,  and  cruelty  on 
the  other  that  come  to  us  through  the  pages  of  this 
history,  open  a  new  world  to  the  modern  mind.  (9) 
Edmimd  Spenser  s  Faerie  Qneene,  which  combines 
the  poetry  of  a  Homer  with  the  allegory  of  a  Bunyan. 
It  presents  moral  truth  under  vast  and  beautiful 
imagery.  In  English  poetry  it  claims  our  attention 
next  to  Shakspeare  and  Milton.  (10)  Ben  Jonsons 
Plays,  which  stand  next  to  those  of  Shakspeare  in 
English  drama.  (11)  The  Plays  of  Shakspeare, 
which  need  no  comment,  as  they  have  already  been 
placed  at  the  summit  of  all  literature;  and  (12)  Ba- 
cons Works,  including  the  Novum  Organum,  the 
New  Atlantis,  and  the  Essays,  the  first  of  which, 
though  one  of  the  greatest  books  of  the  world,  set- 
ting forth  the  true  methods  of  arriving  at  truth  by 
experiment  and  observation  and  the  collation  of 
facts,  we  do  not  need  to  read,  because  the  substance 
of  it  may  be  found   in  better  form  in   Mill's  Logic. 


THE   POST-SHAKSPEARIAN   AGE.  155 

The  **  Essays,"  however,  are  world-famed  for  their  con- 
densed wit  and  wisdom  on  topics  of  never-dying  in- 
terest, and  stand  among  the  very  best  books  on  the 
upper  shelf.  The  "New  Atlantis ",  also  should  be 
read  for  breadth,  with  More's  "  Utopia;  "  the  subject 
being  the  same,  namely,  an  ideal  commonwealth. 

From  this  sixty-one  years  of  prolific  writing,  in 
which  no  less  than  two  hundred  and  thirty  authors 
gathered  their  poems  together  and  published  them, 
to  say  nothing  of  all  the  scattered  writings,  twelve 
volumes  have  come  down  to  us  with  a  large  measure 
of  fame.  Only  the  last  seven  call  for  our  reading; 
but  two  of  them,  Shakspeare  and  Bacon,  are  among 
the  very  most  important  books  on  the  first  shelf  of 
the  world's  library. 

The  Post-Shakspearian  Age  is  divided  into  four  times, 
or  periods,  —  the  Time  of  Milton;  the  Time  of  Dry- 
den  ;  the  Time  of  Pope  ;  and  the  Time  of  the  Novel- 
ists, Historians,  and  Scientists. 

The  Time  of  Milton,  from  1620  to  1674,  was 
contemporary  with  the  Golden  Age  of  literature  in 
France.  The  great  English  books  of  this  time  were 
( I )  Chapman  s  Translation  of  Homer,  which  is  su- 
perseded by  Pope's.  (2)  Hobbess  Leviathan,  a 
discourse  on  government.  Hobbes  taught  that  gov- 
ernment exists  for  the  people,  and  rests  not  on  the 
divine  right  of  kings,  but  on  a  compact  or  agree- 
ment of  all  the  citizens  to  give  up  a  portion  of  their 
liberties  in  order  by  social  co-operation  the  better 


156  PERIODS   OF  ENGLISH   LITERATURE. 

to  secure  the  remainder.  He  is  one  of  our  greatest 
philosophers ;  but  the  general  reader  will  find  the 
substance  of  Hobbes's  whole  philosophy  better  put 
in  Locke,  Mill,  and  Herbert  Spencer.  (3)  Walton's 
Complete  Angler,  the  work  of  a  retired  merchant 
who  combined  a  love  of  fishing  with  a  poetic  per- 
ception of  the  beauties  of  Nature.  It  will  repay 
a  glance.  (4)  5.  Butler  s  Hiidibras,  a  keen  satire 
on  the  Puritans  who  went  too  far  in  their  effort  to 
compel  all  men  to  conform  their  lives  to  the  Puritan 
standard  of  abstinence  from  worldly  pleasures.  In 
spite  of  its  vulgarity,  the  book  stands  very  high 
in  the  literature  of  humor.  (5)  George  Herbert's 
PoemSy  many  of  which  are  as  sweet  and  holy  as  a 
flower  upon  a  grave,  and  are  beloved  by  all  spirit- 
ually minded  people.  (6)  Jeremy  Taylor's  Holy 
Living  and  Dyings  a  book  that  in  the  strength 
of  its  claim  upon  us  must  rank  close  after  the 
Bible,  Shakspeare,  and  the  Science  of  Physiology 
and  Hygiene.  (7)  Milton's  Poems,  of  which  the 
"  Paradise  Lost  "  and  '*  Comus,"  for  their  sublimity 
and  beauty,  rank  next  after  Shakspeare  in  English 
poetry.  ^Eschylus,  Dante,  and  Milton  are  the  three 
sublimest  souls  in  history. 

From  this  time  of  fifty-four  years  seven  great  books 
have  come  to  us,  Milton  and  Taylor  being  among  our 
most  precious  possessions. 

The  Time  of  DrydEn.  —  From  the  death  of  Mil- 
ton, in  1674,  to  the  death  of  Dryden,  in  1700,  the  lat- 
ter held  undisputed  kingship  in  the  realm  of  letters. 


THE   POST-SHAKSPEARIAN   AGE.  1 57 

This  and  the  succeeding  time  of  Pope  were  marked 
by  the  development  of  a  classic  style  and  a  fine  lit- 
erary and  critical  taste,  but  were  lacking  in  great  cre- 
ative power.  The  great  books  were  (i)  Newtoit's 
Principiay  the  highest  summit  in  the  region  of  as- 
tronomy, unless  the  "  Mecanique  Celeste  "  of  Laplace 
must  be  excepted.  Newton's  discovery  of  the  law  of 
gravitation,  and  his  theory  of  fluxions  place  him  at 
the  head  of  the  mathematical  thinkers  of  the  world. 
His  books,  however,  need  not  be  read  by  the  gen- 
eral student,  for  in  these  sciences  the  later  books  are 
better.  (2)  Locke's  Works  upon  Government  and 
the  Understanding  are  among  the  best  in  the  worlds 
but  their  results  will  all  be  found  in  the  later  works 
of  Spencer,  Mill,  and  Bryce ;  and  the  only  part  of 
the  writings  of  Locke  that  claims  our  reading  to-day 
is  the  little  book  upon  the  Conduct  of  the  Under- 
standing, which  tells  us  how  to  watch  the  processes 
of  our  thought,  to  keep  clear  of  prejudice,  careless 
observation,  etc.,  and  should  be  in  the  hands  of  every 
one  who  ever  presumes  to  do  any  thinking.  (3) 
Dry  den's  Translation  of  Virgil  is  the  best  we  have, 
and  contains  the  finest  writing  of  our  great  John. 
(4)  Biinyan  s  Pilgrint  s  Progress  picturing  in  mag- 
nificent allegory  the  journey  of  a  Christian  soul  to- 
ward heaven,  and  his  "  Holy  War,"  telling  of  the 
conflict  between  good  and  evil,  and  the  devil's  efforts 
to  capture  and  hold  the  town  of  '*  Mansoul,"  should 
be  among  the  first  books  we  read.  The  "  Progress  " 
holds  a  place  in  the  affections  of  all  English-speaking 


158  PERIODS    OF   ENGLISH    LITERATURE. 

peoples  second  only  to  the  Bible  ( 5 )  Sam  Pepys's 
Diary  is  the  greatest  book  of  its  kind  in  the  world, 
and  is  much  read  for  its  vividness  and  interesting  de- 
tail. It  has,  however,  no  claims  to  be  read  until  all 
the  books  on  the  first  shelf  of  Table  I.  have  been 
mastered,  and  a  large  portion  of  the  second  shelf 
pretty  thoroughly  looked  into. 

Of  the  five  great  works  of  these  twenty-six  years, 
Bunyan  and  Locke  are  far  the  most  important  for  us. 

The  Time  of  Pope,  or  the  Time  of  the  Essayists 
and  Satirists,  covers  a  period  of  forty  years,  from 
1700  to  1740,  during  which  the  great  translator  of 
Homer  held  the  sceptre  of  literary  power  by  unani- 
mous assent.  The  great  works  of  this  time  were 
(i)  The  Essays  of  Addison  and  Steele  in  the  "  Tat- 
ler  "  and  "■  Spectator,"  which,  though  of  great  merit, 
must  rank  below  those  of  Emerson,  Bacon,  and 
Montaigne.  (2)  Defoe' s  Robinson  Crusoe,  the  boy's 
own  book.  (3)  Swift's  Satii^es,  —  the  "Tale  of  a 
Tub,"  ''  Gulliver's  Travels,"  and  the  ''  Battle  of  the 
Books,"  —  all  full  of  the  strongest  mixture  of  gross- 
ness,  fierceness,  and  intense  wit  that  the  world  has 
seen.  The  **  Battle  of  the  Books  "  may  be  read  with 
great  advantage  by  the  general  reader  as  well  as 
by  the  student  of  humor.  (4)  Berkeley's  Human 
Knowledge,  exceedingly  interesting  for  the  keenness 
of  its  confutation  of  any  knowledge  of  the  exist- 
ence of  matter.  (5)  Pope's  Poejns — the  "Rape  of 
the  Lock"  (which  means  the  theft  of  a  lock  of  hair), 
the  "  Essay  on  Man,"  and  his  translation  of  Homer 


THE   POST-SHAKSPEARIAN   AGE.  159 

—  must  form  a  part  of  every  wide  course  of  reading. 
Their  mechanical  execution,  especially,  is  of  the  very 
finest.  (6)  Thomsoris  Seasons,  a  beautiful  poem  of 
the  second  class.  (7)  Butler's  Analogy,  chiefly  noted 
for  its  proof  of  the  existence  of  God  from  the  fact 
that  there  is  evidence  of  design  in  Nature. 

Of  these  writers,  Pope  and  Defoe  are  far  the  most 
important  for  us. 

We  have,  down  to  this  time  of  1740,  out  of  a  lit- 
erature covering  eleven  and  a  half  centuries,  recom- 
mended to  the  chief  attention  of  the  reader  ten  great 
authors,  —  Chaucer  and  Spenser,  Shakspeare  and  Ba- 
con, Milton  and  Taylor,  Bunyan  and  Locke,  Pope 
and  Defoe.  We  now  come  to  the  Time  of  Novel- 
ists, Historians,  and  Scientists,  a  period  in  the 
history  of  our  literature  that  is  so  prolific  of  great 
writers  in  all  the  vastly  multiplied  departments  of 
thought,  that  it  is  no  longer  possible  to  particularize 
in  the' manner  we  have  done  in  regard  to  the  preced- 
ing ages.  A  sufficient  illustration  has  been  given  of 
the  methods  of  judging  books  and  the  results  of  their 
application.  With  the  ample  materials  of  Table  I. 
before  him,  the  reader  must  now  be  left  to  make  his 
own  judgments  in  regard  to  the  relative  merits  of  the 
books  of  the  modern  period.  We  shall  confine  our 
remarks  on  this  last  time  of  English  literature  to  the 
recommendation  of  ten  great  authors  to  match  the 
ten  great  names  of  former  times.  In  history,  we  shall 
name  Parkman,  the  greatest  of  American  historians ; 
in   philosophy,  Herbert  Spencer,  the  greatest   name 


l6o  PERIODS   OF   ENGLISH   LITERATURE. 

in  the  whole  list  of  philosophers ;  in  poetry,  Byron 
and  Tennyson^  neither  of  them  equal  to  Shakspeare 
and  Milton,  but  standing  in  the  next  file  behind 
them ;  in  fiction,  Scott,  Eliot,  and  Dickens;  in  poetic 
humor,  Lowell,  the  greatest  of  all  names  in  this  de- 
partment ;  and  in  general  literature,  Carlyle  and 
Riiskiii,  two  of  the  purest,  wisest,  and  most  forcible 
writers  of  all  the  past,  and,  curiously  enough,  both 
of  them  very  eccentric  and  very  wordy,  —  a  sort  of 
English  double  star,  which  will  be  counted  in  this 
list  as  a  unit,  in  order  to  crowd  in  Emerson,  who 
belongs  in  this  great  company,  and  is  not  by  any 
means  the  least  worthy  member  of  it.  One  more 
writer  there  is  in  this  time  greater  than  any  we  have 
named,  except  Spencer  and  Scott;  namely,  the  author 
of*'  The  Origin  of  Species."  Darwijt  stands  by  the 
side  of  Newton  in  the  history  of  scientific  thought; 
but,  like  his  great  compeer,  the  essence  of  his  book 
has  come  to  be  a  part  of  modern  thought  that  floats 
in  the  air  we  breathe ;  and  so  his  claims  to  being 
read  are  less  than  those  of  authors  who  cannot  be 
called  so  great  when  speaking  of  intrinsic  merit. 

Having  introduced  the  greatest  ten  of  old,  and  ten 
that  may  be  deemed  the  greatest  of  the  new,  in  Eng- 
lish letters,  we  shall  pass  to  take  a  bird's-eye  view 
of  what  is  best  in  Greece  and  Rome,  France,  Italy, 
and  Spain,  and  say  a  word  of  Persia,  Germany,  and 
Portugal, 


GREATEST  NAMES   OF   OTHER   LITERATURES.       l6l 


THE   GREATEST   NAMES   OF   OTHER 
LITERATURES. 

Greece,  in  her  thirteen  centuries  of  almost  contin- 
uous literary  productiveness  from  Homer  to  Longus, 
gave  the  world  its  greatest  epic  poet,  Horner ;  the 
finest  of  lyric  poets,  Pindar ;  the  prince  of  orators, 
Demosthenes ;  aside  from  our  own  Bacon  and  Spencer, 
the  greatest  philosophers  of  all  the  ages,  Plato  and 
Aristotle ;.  the  most  noted  of  fabulists,  ^sop;  the  most 
powerful  writer  of  comedy,  Aristophaiies  (Moliere, 
however,  is  much  to  be  preferred  for  modern  read- 
ing, because  of  his  fuller  applicability  to  our  life)  ; 
and  the  three  greatest  writers  of  pure  tragedy,  Ais- 
chyhcSy  Sophocles,  and  Ezcripides,  —  the  first  remark- 
able for  his  gloomy  grandeur  and  gigantic,  dark,  and 
terrible  sublimity;  the  second  for  his  sweet  majesty 
and  pathos ;  and  third  for  the  power  with  which  he 
paints  men  as  they  are  in  real  life.  Euripides  was  a 
great  favorite  with  Milton  and  Fox. 

To  one  who  is  not  acquainted  with  these  ten  great 
Greeks,  much  of  the  sweetest  and  grandest  of  life  re- 
mains untasted  and  unknown.  Begin  with  Homer, 
Plato's  "  Phaedo  "  and  **  Republic,"  ^Eschylus'  "  Pro- 
metheus Bound,"  Sophocles'  *'  Qidipus,"  and  Demos- 
thenes' *'  On  the  Crown." 

II 


1 62      GREATEST   NAMES    OF   OTHER    LITERATURES. 

A  liberal  reading  must  also  include  the  Greek  his- 
torians Herodotus,  Thucydides,  and  Xenophon. 

Rome  taught  the  world  the  art  of  war,  but  was  her- 
self a  pupil  in  the  halls  of  Grecian  letters.  Only  three 
writers  —  Plutarch,  Marcus  AiweliiLS  (who  both  wrote 
in  Greek),  and  Epictctns —  can  claim  our  attention  in 
anything  like  an  equal  degree  with  the  authors  of 
Athens  named  just  above.  Its  literature  as  a  whole 
is  on  a  far  lower  plane  than  that  of  Greece  or  Eng- 
land. A  liberal  education  must  include  Virgil's 
"  i^neid,"  the  national  epic  of  Rome  (which,  how- 
ever, must  take  its  place  in  our  lives  and  hearts  far 
after  Homer,  Shakspeare,  Milton,  Dante,  and  Goethe), 
for  its  elegance  and  imagination ;  Horace,  for  his 
wit,  grace,  sense,  and  inimitable  witchery  of  phrase ; 
Lucretius,  for  his  depth  of  meditation ;  Tacitus,  for 
knowledge  of  our  ancestors ;  Ovid  and  Catullus,  for 
their  beauty  of  expression  ;  Juvenal,  for  the  keenness 
of  his  satire ;  and  Plautus  and  Terence,  for  their  in- 
sight into  the  characters  of  men.  But  these  books 
should  wait  until  at  least  the  three  first  named  in 
this  paragraph,  with  the  ten  Greek  and  twenty  Eng- 
lish writers  spoken  of"  in  the  preceding  paragraphs, 
have  come  to  be  familiar  friends. 

Italy,  in  Chaucer's  century,  produced  a  noble  liter- 
ature. Dante  is  the  Shakspeare  of  the  Latin  races. 
He  stands  among  the  first  creators  of  sublimity,  ^s- 
chylus  and  Milton  only  can  claim  a  place  beside  him. 
Petrarch  takes  lofty  rank  as  a  lyric  poet,  breathing 
the  heart  of  love.     Boccaccio  may  be  put  with  Chau- 


GREATEST   NAMES    OF   OTHER    LITERATURES.       1 63 

cer.  Ariosto  and  Tasso  wrote  the  finest  epics  of 
Italian  poetry.  A  liberal  education  must  neglect  no 
one  of  these.  Every  life  should  hold  communion 
with  the  soul  of  Dante,  and  get  a  taste  at  least  of 
Petrarch. 

France  has  a  glorious  literature ;  in  science,  the 
best  in  the  world.  In  history,  Giiizot ;  in  jurispru- 
dence, in  its  widest  sense,  Montesquieu ;  and  in 
picturing  the  literary  history  of  a  nation,  Taine, 
stand  unrivalled  anywhere.  Among  essayists,  Mon- 
taigne;  among  writers  of  fiction,  Le  Sage,  Victor 
Hugo,  and  Balzac ;  among  the  dramatists,  Corneille 
the  grand,  Racine  the  graceful  and  tender,  and  Mo- 
likre  the  creator  of  modern  comedy;  and  among 
fabulists,  the  inimitable  poet  of  fable.  La  Fontaine^ 
demand  a  share  of  our  time  with  the  best.  Descartes, 
Pascal,  Rousseau,  Voltaire,  and  Comte  belong  in 
every  liberal  scheme  of  culture  and  to  every  student 
of  philosophy. 

Spain  gives  us  two  most  glorious  names,  Cervantes 
and  Pedro  Calderon  de  la  Barca,  —  the  former  one  of 
the  world's  very  greatest  humorists,  the  brother  spirit 
of  Lowell ;  the  latter,  a  princely  dramatist,  the  brother 
of  Shakspeare. 

Germany  boasts  one  summit  on  which  the  shadow 
of  no  other  falls.  Goethe's  *'  Faust  "  and  **  Wilhelm 
Meister"  and  his  minor  poems  cannot  be  neglected 
if  we  want  the  best  the  world  affords ;  Schiller,  too, 
and  Humboldt,  Kant  and  Heine,  Helmholtz  and 
Haeckel  must  be  read.     In  science  and  history,  the 


1 64      GREATEST   NAMES   OF   OTHER   LITERATURES. 

list  of  German  greatness  is  a  very  long  and  bright 
one. 

Persia  calls  us  to  read  her  magnificent  astronomer- 
poet,  Omar  Khayyam ;  her  splendid  epic,  the  Shah 
NameJi  of  Firdnsi,  the  story  of  whose  labors,  suc- 
cesses, and  misfortunes  is  one  of  the  most  interesting 
passages  in  the  history  of  poetry ;  and  taste  at  least 
of  her  extravagant  singer  of  the  troubles  and  ecsta- 
sies of  love,  Hafiz. 

Portugal  has  given  us  Camoens,  with  his  great  poem 
the  '*  Luciad."  Denmark  brings  us  her  charming  Aii- 
dersen ;  and  Russia  comes  to  us  with  her  Byronic 
Pushkin  and  her  Schiller-hearted  poet,  Lermontoff, 
at  least  for  a  glance. 

We  have  thus  named  as  the  chiefs,  twenty  authors 
in  English,  ten  in  Greek,  three  of  Rome,  two  of  Italy, 
ten  of  France,  two  of  Spain,  seven  of  Germany,  three 
of  Persia,  one  of  Portugal,  one  of  Denmark,  and  two 
of  Russia,  —  sixty-one  in  all,  —  which,  if  read  in  the 
manner  indicated,  will  impart  a  pretty  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  literary  treasures  of  the  world. 


FOUNTAINS    OF   NATIONAL   LITERATURES.       1 65 


THE   FOUNTAINS   OF   NATIONAL 
LITERATURES. 

In  the  early  history  of  every  great  people  there 
has  grown  up  a  body  of  songs  celebrating  the  hero- 
ism of  their  valiant  warriors  and  the  charms  of  their 
beautiful  women.  These  have,  generation  after  gen- 
eration, been  passed  by  word  of  mouth  from  one 
group  of  singers  to  their  successors,  —  by  each  new 
set  of  artists  somewhat  polished  and  improved,  —  un- 
til they  come  to  us  as  Homer's  Iliad,  the  **  Nibelun- 
genlied  "  of  the  Germans,  the  '^  Chronicle  of  the  Cid  " 
of  the  Spanish,  the  "  Chansons  de  Gestes,"  the  *'  Ro- 
mans," and  the  '*  Fabliaux  "  of  the  French,  and  **  Beo- 
wulf" and  the  **  Morte  D' Arthur  "  of  English  literature. 
These  great  poems  are  the  sources  of  a  vast  portion  of 
what  is  best  in  subsequent  art.  From  them  Virgil,  Boc- 
caccio, Chaucer,  Rabelais,  Moliere,  Shakspeare,  Calde- 
ron,  and  a  host  of  others  have  drawn  their  inspiration. 
Malory  has  wrought  the  Arthurian  songs  into  a  mould 
of  the  purest  English.  The  closing  books,  in  their 
quiet  pathos  and  reserved  strength,  —  in  their  melody, 
winged  words,  and  inimitable  turns  of  phrase,  —  rank 
with  the  best  poetry  of  Europe.  Southey  called  the 
"Cid"  the  finest  poem  in  the  Spanish  language,  and 
Prescott  said  it  was  "  the  most  remarkable  perform- 


1 66      FOUNTAINS    OF  NATIONAL   LITERATURES. 

ance  of  the  Middle  Ages."  This  may  be  going  rather 
too  far ;  but  it  certainly  stands  in  the  very  front  rank 
of  national  poems.  It  has  been  translated  by  Lockhart 
in  verse,  by  Southey  in  prose,  and  there  is  a  splendid 
fragment  by  Frere.  Of  the  French  early  epics,  the 
*'  Chanson  de  Roland"  and  the  **  Roman  du  Renart" 
are  the  best.  The  '*  Nibelungenlied  "  is  the  embodi- 
ment of  the  wild  and  tragic,  —  the  highest  note  of  the 
barbaric  drama  of  the  North.  That  last  terrific  scene 
in  the  Hall  of  Etzel  will  rest  forever  in  the  memory  of 
every  reader  of  the  book.  Carlyle  has  given  a  sketch 
of  the  poem  in  his  *'  Miscellanies,"  vol.  iii.,  and  there 
exists  a  complete  but  prolix  and  altogether  miserable 
translation  of  the  great  epic,  but  we  sadly  need  a 
condensed  version  of  the  myth  of  **  Siegfried"  the 
brave,  and  **  Chriemhild  "  the  beautiful,  in  the  stirring 
prose  of  Malory  or  Southey.  No  reader  will  regret 
a  perusal  of  these  songs  of  the  people  ;  it  is  a  journey 
to  the  head-waters  of  the  literary  Nile. 

The  reader  of  this  little  book  we  hope  has  gained 
an  inspiration  —  if  it  were  not  his  before  —  that,  with  a 
strong  and  steady  step,  will  lead  him  into  all  the  paths 
of  beauty  and  of  truth.  Each  glorious  emotion  and 
each  glowing  thought  that  comes  to  us,  becomes  a 
centre  of  new  growth.  Each  wave  of  pathos,  humor, 
or  sublimity  that  pulses  through  the  heart  or  passes 
to  the  brain,  sets  up  vibrations  that  will  never  die, 
but  beautify  the  hours  and  years  that  follow  to  the 
end  of  life.  These  waves  that  pass  into  the  soul 
do   not  conceal   their   music  in  the  heart,   but  echo 


FOUNTAINS   OF  NATIONAL   LITERATURES.       16/ 

back  upon  the  world  in  waves  of  kindred  power;  and 
these  return  forever  from  the  world  into  the  heart 
that  gave  them  forth.  It  is  as  on  the  evening  river, 
where  the  boatman  bends  his  homeward  oar.  Each 
lusty  call  that  leaves  his  lips,  or  song,  or  bugle  blast 
that  slips  the  tensioned  bars,  and  wings  the  breeze, 
to  teach  its  rhythm  to  the  trees  that  crown  the  rocky 
twilight  steep  o'er  which  the  lengthening  shadows 
creep,  returns  and  enters,  softened,  sweet,  and  clear, 
the  waiting  portal  of  the  sender's  ear.  The  man  who 
fills  his  being  with  the  noblest  books,  and  pours  their 
beauty  out  in  word  and  deed,  is  like  the  merry  sing- 
ers on  the  placid  moonlit  lake.  Backward  the  ripples 
o'er  the  silver  sheet  come  on  the  echoes'  winged  feet ; 
the  hills  and  valleys  all  around  gather  the  gentle 
shower  of  sound,  and  pour  the  stream  upon  the  boat 
in  which  the  happy  singers  float,  chanting  the  hymns 
they  loved  of  yore,  shipping  the  glistening  wave- 
washed  oar,  to  hear  reflected  from  the  shore  their 
every  charmed  note.  Oh,  loosen  from  tJiy  lip,  my 
friend,  no  tone  thine  ear  would  with  remorseful  sor- 
row hear,  hurling  it  back  from  far  and  near,  the  listen- 
ing landscape  oft  repeat !  Rather  a  melody  send  to 
greet  the  mountains  beyond  the  silver  sheet.  Life  's 
the  soul's  song ;  sing  sweetly,  then,  that  when  the  si- 
lence comes  again,  and  ere  it  comes,  from  every  glen 
the  echoes  shall  be  sweet. 


APPENDIX. 


THE    BEST    THOUGHTS    OF    GREAT    MEN 
ABOUT    BOOKS    AND    READING. 


APPENDIX  I 


THE  BEST  THOUGHTS  OF  GREAT  MEN 
ABOUT  BOOKS  AND  READING. 

Addison.  "  Books  are  the  legacies  that  genius  leaves  to 
mankind." 

"  Knowledge  of  books  is  a  torch  in  the  hands  of  one  who 
is  willing  and  able  to  show  those  who  are  bewildered  the  way 
which  leads  to  prosperity  and  welfare." 

Alcott,  A.  B.  "  My  favorite  books  have  a  personality  and 
complexion  as  distinctly  drawn  as  if  the  author's  portrait 
were  framed  into  the  paragraphs,  and  smiled  upon  me  as  I 
read  his  illustrated  pages." 

"  Next  to  a  friend's  discourse,  no  morsel  is  more  delicious 
than  a  ripe  book,  —  a  book  whose  flavor  is  as  refreshing  at 
the  thousandth  tasting  as  at  the  first." 

"  Next  to  a  personal  introduction,  a  list  of  one's  favor- 
ite authors  were  the  best  admittance  to  his  character  and 
manners." 

"  A  good  book  perpetuates  its  fame  from  age  to  age,  and 
makes  eras  in  the  lives  of  its  readers." 

Atkinson,  W.  P.  "  Who  can  over-estimate  the  value  of 
good  books,  —  those  ships  of  thought,  as  Bacon  so  finely  calls 
them,  voyaging  througli  the  sea  of  time,  and  carrying  their 
precious  freight  so  safely  from  generation  to  generation?" 


172         THE   BEST  THOUGHTS    OF   GREAT   MEN 

Arnott,  Dr.  "  Books,  —  the  miracle  of  all  possessions, 
more  wonderful  than  the  wishing-cap  of  the  Arabian  tales ; 
for  they  transport  instantly,  not  only  to  all  places,  but  to  all 
times." 

Bacon.  "  Studies  serve  for  pastimes,  for  ornaments,  for 
abilities.  Their  chief  use  for  pastimes  is  in  privateness  and 
retiring ;  for  ornaments,  in  discourse ;  and  for  ability,  in 
judgment.  ...  To  spend  too  much  time  in  them  is  sloth  ; 
to  use  them  too  much  for  ornament  is  affectation ;  to  make 
judgment  wholly  by  their  rules  is  the  humor  of  a  scholar. 
They  perfect  nature,  and  are  themselves  perfected  by  expe- 
rience. Crafty  men  contemn  them,  wise  men  use  them, 
simple  men  admire  them  ;  for  they  teach  not  their  own  use, 
but  that  there  is  a  wisdom  without  them  and  above  them 
won  by  observation.  Read  not  to  contradict,  nor  to  believe, 
but  to  weigh  and  consider.  .  .  .  Reading  maketh  a  full  man, 
conference  a  ready,  and  writing  an  exact  man.  Therefore, 
if  a  man  write  little,  he  had  need  of  a  great  memory  ;  if  he 
confer  little,  he  hath  need  of  a  present  wit ;  and  if  he  read 
little,  he  had  need  have  much  cunning  to  seem  to  know  that 
he  doth  not  know.  Histories  make  men  wise,  poets  witty, 
the  mathematicians  subtile,  natural  philosophy  deep,  moral 
grave,  logic  and  rhetoric  able  to  contend." 

Barrow.  "He  who  loveth  a  book  will  never  want  a  faith- 
ful friend,  a  wholesome  counsellor,  a  cheerful  companion,  or 
an  effectual  comforter." 

Bartholin.  "'  Without  books  God  is  silent,  justice  dor- 
mant, natural  science  at  a  stand,  philosophy  lame,  letters 
dumb,  and  all  things  involved  in  Cimmerian  darkness." 

Beaconsfield,  Lord.  "  The  idea  that  human  happiness  is 
dependent  on  the  cultivation  of  the  mind  and  on  the  dis- 
covery of  truth  is,  next  to  the  conviction  of  our  immortality, 


ABOUT   BOOKS   AND    READING.  1/3 

the  idea  the  most  full  of  consolation  to  man ;  for  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  mind  has  no  limits,  and  truth  is  the  only  thing 
that  is  eternal." 

"  Knowledge  is  like  the  mystic  ladder  in  the  patriarch's 
dream.  Its  base  rests  on  the  primeval  earth,  its  crest  is  lost 
in  the  shadowy  splendor  of  the  empyrean ;  while  the  great 
authors,  who  for  traditionary  ages  have  held  the  chain  of 
science  and  philosophy,  of  poesy  and  erudition,  are  the  angels 
ascending  and  descending  the  sacred  scale,  and  maintaining, 
as  it  were,  the  communication  between  man  and  heaven." 

Beecher,  Henry  Ward.  "  A  book  is  good  company.  It 
seems  to  enter  the  memory,  and  to  hover  in  a  silvery  trans- 
formation there  until  the  outward  book  is  but  a  body,  and 
its  soul  and  spirit  are  flown  to  you,  and  possess  your  mem- 
ory like  a  spirit." 

"  Books  are  the  windows  through  which  the  soul  looks  out. 
A  home  without  books  is  like  a  room  without  windows.  ..." 

Bright,  John.  "  What  is  a  great  love  of  books  ?  It  is 
something  like  a  personal  introduction  to  the  great  and  good 
men  of  all  past  time." 

Brooks,  Phillips.  ''  Is  it  not  a  new  England  for  a  child 
to  be  born  in  since  Shakspeare  gathered  up  the  centuries 
and  told  the  story  of  humanity  up  to  his  time  ?  Will  not 
Carlyle  and  Tennyson  make  the  man  who  begins  to  live 
from  them  the  '  heir  of  all  ages  '  which  have  distilled  their 
richness  into  the  books  of  the  sage  and  the  singer  of  the 
nineteenth  century?" 

Bro-wning,   Elizabeth  Barrett. 

"  When  we  gloriously  forget  ourselves  and  plunge 
Soul  forward,  headlong  into  a  book's  profound, 
Impassioned  for  its  beauty,  and  salt  of  truth  — 
'T  is  then  we  get  the  right  good  from  a  book." 


174    THE  BEST  THOUGHTS  OF  GREAT  MEN 

Bruy^re.  "When  a  book  raises  your  spirit,  and  inspires 
you  with  noble  and  courageous  feelings,  seek  for  no  other 
rule  to  judge  the  event  by  ;  it  is  good,  and  made  by  a  good 
workman." 

Bury,  Richard  de.  "You,  O  Books  !  are  golden  urns  in 
which  manna  is  laid  up  ;  rocks  flowing  with  honey,  or  rather, 
indeed,  honeycombs ;  udders  most  copiously  yielding  the 
milk  of  life,  store-rooms  ever  full ;  the  four-streamed  river 
of  Paradise,  where  the  human  mind  is  fed,  and  the  arid 
intellect  moistened  and  watered ;  fruitful  olives,  vines  of 
Engaddi,  fig-trees  knowing  no  sterility ;  burning  lamps  to 
be  ever  held  in  the  hand." 

"  In  books  vve  find  the  dead,  as  it  were,  living.  .  .  .  The 
truth  written  in  a  book  .  .  .  enters  the  chamber  of  intellect, 
reposes  itself  upon  the  couch  of  memory,  and  there  congen- 
erates  the  eternal  truth  of  the  mind." 

Carlyle.  '"  Evermore  is  Wisdom  the  highest  of  conquests 
to  every  son  of  Adam,  —  nay,  in  a  large  sense,  the  one  con- 
quest ;  and  the  precept  to  every  one  of  us  is  ever,  '  Above 
all  thy  gettings  get  understanding.'" 

"  Of  all  the  things  which  man  can  do  or  make  here  below, 
by  far  the  most  momentous,  wonderful,  and  worthy  are  the 
things  we  call  books." 

"  All  that  mankind  has  done,  thought,  gained,  and  been, 
is  lying  as  in  magic  preservation  in  the  pages  of  books." 

Charming,  Dr.  Wm.  E.  "  God  be  thanked  for  books  ! 
They  are  the  voices  of  the  distant  and  the  dead,  and  make 
us  heirs  of  the  spiritual  hfe  of  past  ages.  Books  are  the  true 
levellers.  They  give  to  all  who  will  faithfully  use  them  the 
society,  the  spiritual  presence,  of  the  best  and  greatest  of  our 
race.  No  matter  how  poor  I  am ;  no  matter  though  the 
prosperous  of  my  own  time  will  not  enter  my  obscure  dwell- 


ABOUT   BOOKS   AND    READING.  175 

ing :  if  the  sacred  writers  will  enter  and  take  up  their  abode 
under  my  roof,  —  if  Milton  will  cross  my  threshold  to  sing  to 
me  of  Paradise  ;  and  Shakspeare,  to  open  to  me  the  worlds 
of  imagination  and  the  workings  of  the  human  heart ;  and 
Franklin,  to  enrich  me  with  his  practical  wisdom,  —  I  shall 
not  pine  for  want  of  intellectual  companionship,  and  I  may 
become  a  cultivated  man,  though  excluded  from  what  is 
called  the  best  society  in  the  place  where  I  live." 
Chaucer. 

"  And  as  for  me,  though  that  I  know  but  lyte  ^ 
On  bokes  for  to  rede  I  me  delyte, 
And  to  them  give  I  (feyth  -)  and  ful  credence, 
And  in  myn  herte  have  them  in  reverence 
So  hertily  that  there  is  pastime  noon,^ 
That  from  my  bokes  maketh  me  to  goon 
But  yt  be  seldom  on  the  holy  day. 
Save,  certeynly,  whan  that  the  monethe  of  May 
Is  comen,  and  I  here  the  foules  synge, 
And  that  the  floures  gynnen  for  to  sprynge  ; 
Farewell  my  boke,  and  my  devocioun." 

Cicero.  "  Studies  are  the  aliment  of  youth,  the  comfort 
of  old  age,  an  adornment  of  prosperity,  a  refuge  and  a  solace 
in  adversity,  and  a  delight  in  our  home." 

Clarke,  James  Freeman.  "  When  I  consider  what  some 
books  have  done  for  the  world,  and  what  they  are  doing,  — 
how  they  keep  up  our  hope,  awaken  new  courage  and  faith, 
give  an  ideal  life  to  those  whose  homes  are  hard  and  cold, 
bind  together  distant  ages  and  foreign  lands,  create  new 
worlds  of  beauty,  bring  down  truths  from  Heaven,  —  I  give 
eternal  blessings  for  this  gift,  and  pray  that  we  may  use  it 
aright,  and  abuse  it  not." 

^  Little.  '^  Faith.  3  None. 


176  THE   BEST   THOUGHTS    OF   GREAT   MEN 

Coleridge.  "  Some  readers  are  like  the  hour-glass.  Their 
reading  is  as  the  sand ;  it  runs  in  and  runs  out,  but  leaves 
not  a  vestige  behind.  Some,  like  a  sponge,  which  imbibes 
everything,  and  returns  it  in  the  same  state,  only  a  little 
dirtier.  Some,  like  a  jelly-bag,  which  allows  all  that  is  pure 
to  pass  away,  and  retains  only  the  refuse  and  dregs.  The 
fourth  class  may  be  compared  to  the  slave  of  Golconda, 
who,  casting  away  all  that  is  worthless,  preserves  only  the 
pure  gems." 

Collyer,  Robert.  "  Do  you  want  to  know  how  I  manage 
to  talk  to  you  in  this  simple  Saxon?  I  will  tell  you.  I  read 
Bunyan,  Crusoe,  and  Goldsmith  when  I  was  a  boy,  morning, 
noon,  and  night ;  all  the  rest  was  task  work.  These  were 
my  delight,  with  the  stories  in  the  Bible,  and  with  Shak- 
speare,  when  at  last  the  mighty  master  came  within  our 
doors.  These  were  like  a  well  of  pure  water ;  and  this  is 
the  first  step  I  seem  to  have  taken  of  my  own  free  will  to- 
ward the  pulpit.  From  the  days  when  we  used  to  spell  out 
Crusoe  and  old  Bunyan,  there  had  grown  up  in  me  a  de- 
vouring hunger  to  read  books.  ...  I  could  not  go  home 
for  the  Christmas  of  1839,  and  was  feeling  very  sad  about  it 
all,  for  I  was  only  a  boy ;  and  sitting  by  the  fire,  an  old 
farmer  came  in  and  said,  '  I  notice  thou 's  fond  o'  reading, 
so  I  brought  thee  summat  to  read.'  It  was  Irving's  '  Sketch 
Book.'  I  had  never  heard  of  the  work.  I  went  at  it,  and 
was  '  as  them  that  dream.'  No  such  dehght  had  touched 
me  since  the  old  days  of  Crusoe." 

Curtis,  G.  W.  "  Books  are  the  ever-burning  lamps  of  ac- 
cumulated wisdom." 

De  Quincey.  "  Every  one  owes  to  the  impassioned  books 
he  has  read  many  a  thousand  more  of  emotions  than  he  can 
consciously  trace  back  to  them.  ...  A  great  scholar  de- 


ABOUT   BOOKS   AND    READING.  177 

pends  not  simply  on  an  infinite  memory,  but  also  on  an  infi- 
nite and  electrical  power  of  combination,  —  bringing  together 
from  the  four  winds,  like  the  Angel  of  the  Resurrection,  what 
else  were  dust  from  dead  men's  bones  into  the  unity  of 
breathing  life." 

Diodorus.     "  Books  are  the  medicine  of  the  mind." 

Emerson.  "  The  profit  of  books  is  according  to  the  sen- 
sibility of  the  reader." 

Erasmus.  "A  little  before  you  go  to  sleep  read  some- 
thing that  is  exquisite  and  worth  remembering,  and  contem- 
plate upon  it  till  you  fall  asleep ;  and  when  you  awake  in  the 
morning  call  yourself  to  an  account  for  it." 

Farrar,  Canon.  "  If  all  the  books  of  the  world  were  in  a 
blaze,  the  first  twelve  which  I  should  snatch  out  of  the  flames 
would  be  the  Bible,  the  Imitation  of  Christ,  Homer,  ^schy- 
lus,  Thucydides,  Tacitus,  Virgil,  Marcus  Aurelius,  Dante, 
Shakspeare,  Milton,  Wordsworth.  Of  living  writers  I  would 
save,  first,  the  works  of  Tennyson,  Browning,  and  Ruskin." 

Fenelon.  "If  die  crowns  of  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  em- 
pire were  laid  down  at  my  feet  in  exchange  for  my  books 
and  my  love  of  reading,  I  would  spurn  them  all." 

Freeman,  E.  A.  (the  historian).  "  I  feel  myself  quite  un- 
able to  draw  up  a  list  (of  the  best  books),  as  I  could  not 
trust  my  own  judgment  on  any  matters  not  bearing  on  my 
special  studies,  and  I  should  be  doubtless  tempted  to  give 
too  great  prominence  to  them." 

Fuller,  Thomas.  "  It  is  thought  and  digestion  which 
make  books  serviceable,  and  give  health  and  vigor  to  the 
mind." 

Gibbon.  "  A  taste  for  books  is  the  pleasure  and  glory 
of  my  life.  I  would  not  exchange  it  for  the  glory  of  the 
Indies." 

12 


178         THE   BEST  THOUGHTS    OF   GREAT   MEN 

Gladstone.  "  When  I  was  a  boy  I  used  to  be  fond  of 
looking  into  a  bookseller's  shop ;  but  there  was  nothing  to 
be  seen  there  that  was  accessible  to  the  working-man  of  that 
day.  Take  a  Shakspeare,  for  example.  I  remember  very 
well  that  I  gave  £^2  ids.  od.  for  my  first  copy ;  but  you  can 
get  any  one  of  Shakspeare's  Plays  for  seven  cents.  Those 
books  are  accessible  now  which  were  formerly  quite  inacces- 
sible. We  may  be  told  that  you  want  amusement,  but  that 
does  not  include  improvement.  There  are  a  set  of  worthless 
books  written  now  and  at  times  which  you  should  avoid, 
which  profess  to  give  amusement ;  but  in  reading  the  works 
of  such  authors  as  Shakspeare  and  Scott  there  is  the  greatest 
possible  amusement  in  its  best  form.  Do  you  suppose  when 
you  see  men  engaged  in  study  that  they  dislike  it?  No  !  .  .  . 
I  want  you  to  understand  that  multitudes  of  books  are  con- 
stantly being  prepared  and  placed  within  reach  of  the  popu- 
lation at  large,  for  the  most  part  executed  by  writers  of  a 
high  stamp,  having  subjects  of  the  greatest  interest,  and 
which  enable  you,  at  a  moderate  price,  not  to  get  cheap 
literature  which  is  secondary  in  its  quality,  but  to  go  straight 
into  the  very  heart,  —  if  I  rnay  so  say,  into  the  sanctuary 
of  the  temple  of  literature,  —  and  become  acquainted  with 
the  greatest  and  best  works  that  men  of  our  country  have 
produced." 

Godwin,  William.  "  It  is  impossible  that  we  can  be 
much  accustomed  to  such  companions  without  attaining  some 
resemblance  to  them." 

Goldsmith.  *'  An  author  may  be  considered  as  a  merci- 
ful substitute  to  the  legislature.  He  acts  not  by  punishing 
crimes,  but  by  preventing  them." 

Hale,  Sir  Matthew.  "  Read  the  Bible  reverently  and  at- 
tentively, set  your  heart  upon  it,  and  lay  it  up  in  your  mem- 


ABOUT   BOOKS   AND    READING.  1 79 

ory,  and  make  it  the  direction  of  your  life ;  it  will  make  you 
a  wise  and  good  man." 

Hamerton,  P.  H.  "  The  art  of  reading  is  to  skip  judi- 
ciously." 

Harrison,  Frederic.  "The  best  authors  are  never  dark 
horses.  The  world  has  long  ago  closed  the  great  assize  of 
letters,  and  judged  the  first  places  everywhere." 

"  The  reading  of  great  books  is  usually  an  acquired  faculty, 
not  a  natural  gift.  If  you  have  not  got  the  faculty,  seek  for 
it  with  all  your  might." 

"  Of  Walter  Scott  one  need  as  little  speak  as  of  Shak- 
speare.  He  belongs  to  mankind,  —  to  every  age  and  race ; 
and  he  certainly  must  be  counted  as  in  the  first  line  of  the 
great  creative  minds  of  the  world.  His  unique  glory  is  to 
have  definitely  succeeded  in  the  ideal  reproduction  of  his- 
torical types,  so  as  to  preserve  at  once  beauty,  life,  and 
truth,  —  a  task  which  neither  Ariosto  and  Tasso,  nor  Cor- 
neille  and  Racine,  nor  Alfieri,  nor  Goethe,  nor  Schiller,  — 
no,  nor  even  Shakspeare  himself,  entirely  achieved.  ...  In 
brilliancy  of  conception,  in  wealth  of  character,  in  dramatic 
art,  in  glow  and  harmony  of  color,  Scott  put  forth  all  the 
powers  of  a  master  poet.  .  .  .  The  genius  of  Scott  has 
raised  up  a  school  of  historical  romance ;  and  though  the 
best  work  of  Chateaubriand,  Manzoni,  and  Bulwer  may  take 
rank  as  true  art,  the  endless  crowd  of  inferior  imitations  are 
nothing  but  a  weariness  to  the  flesh.  .  .  .  Scott  is  a  perfect 
Hbrary  in  himself.  .  .  .  The  poetic  beauty  of  Scott's  crea- 
tions is  almost  the  least  of  his  great  qualities.  It  is  the 
universality  of  his  sympathy  that  is  so  truly  great,  the  jus- 
tice of  his  estimates,  the  insight  into  the  spirit  of  each  age, 
his  intense  absorption  of  self  in  the  vast  epic  of  human 
civilization." 


l8o         THE   BEST   THOUGHTS    OF   GREAT   MEN 

Hazlitt,  "William.  "  Books  let  us  into  the  souls  of  men, 
and  lay  open  to  us  the  secrets  of  our  own." 

Heinsius.  "  I  no  sooner  come  into  the  library  but  I  bolt 
the  door  to  me,  excluding  Lust,  Ambition,  Avarice,  and  all 
such  vices,  whose  nurse  is  Idleness,  the  Mother  of  Ignorance 
and  Melancholy.  In  the  very  lap  of  eternity,  among  so  many 
divine  souls,  I  take  my  seat  with  so  Ibfty  a  spirit  and  sweet 
content,  that  I  pity  all  that  know  not  this  happiness." 

Herbert,  George.  "  This  book  of  stars  [the  Bible]  lights 
to  eternal  bliss." 

Herschel,  Sir  J.  "  Give  a  man  this  taste  [for  good 
books]  and  the  means  of  gratifying  it,  and  you  can  hardly 
fail  of  making  a  happy  man.  You  place  him  in  contact  with 
the  best  society  in  every  period  of  history,  —  with  the  wisest, 
the  wittiest,  the  tenderest,  the  bravest,  and  the  purest  char- 
acters who  have  adorned  humanity.  You  make  him  a  deni- 
zen of  all  nations,  a  contemporary  of  all  ages." 

Hillard,  George  S.  *'  Here  we  have  immortal  flowers  of 
poetry,  wet  with  Castilian  dew,  and  the  golden  fruit  of  Wis- 
dom that  had  long  ripened  on  the  bough.  .  .  .  We  should 
any  of  us  esteem  it  a  great  privilege  to  pass  an  evening  with 
Shakspeare  or  Bacon.  .  .  .  W'e  may  be  sure  that  Shakspeare 
never  out-talked  his  '  Hamlet,'  nor  Bacon  his  '  Essays.'  .  .  . 
To  the  gentle-hearted  youth,  far  from  his  home,  in  the  midst 
of  a  pitiless  city,  'homeless  among  a  thousand  homes,'  the  ap- 
proach of  evening  brings  with  it  an  aching  sense  of  loneliness 
and  desolation.  In  this  mood  his  best  impulses  become  a  snare 
to  him  ;  and  he  is  led  astray  because  he  is  social,  affectionate, 
sympathetic,  and  warm-hearted.  The  hours  from  sunset  to 
bedtime  are  his  hours  of  peril.  Let  me  say  to  such  young 
men  that  books  are  the  friends  of  the  friendless,  and  that  a 
library  is  the  home  of  the  homeless." 


ABOUT   BOOKS   AND    READING.  l8l 

Holmes,  O.  "W.  "  Books  are  the  '  negative '  pictures  of 
thought ;  and  the  more  sensitive  the  mind  that  receives  the 
images,  the  more  nicely  the  finest  lines  are  reproduced." 

Houghton,  Lord.  ''  It  [a  book]  is  a  portion  of  the  eter- 
nal mind,  caught  in  its  process  through  the  world,  stamped 
in  an  instant,  and  preserved  for  eternity." 

Irving.  "  The  scholar  only  knows  how  dear  these  silent 
yet  eloquent  companions  of  pure  thoughts  and  innocent  hours 
become  in  the  season  of  adversity." 

Johnson,  Dr.  "  No  man  should  consider  so  highly  of 
himself  as  to  think  he  can  receive  but  little  light  from  books, 
nor  so  meanly  as  to  believe  he  can  discover  nothing  but  what 
is  to  be  learned  from  them." 

Jonson,  Ben.  "  A  prince  without  letters  is  a  pilot  with- 
out eyes." 

King,  Thomas  Starr.  "  By  cultivating  an  interest  in  a 
few  good  books,  which  contain  the  result  of  the  toil  or  the 
quintessence  of  the  genius  of  some  of  the  most  gifted  think- 
ers of  the  world,  we  need  not  live  on  the  marsh  and  in  the 
mists ;  the  slopes  and  the  summits  invite  us." 

Kingsley,  Charles.  "  Except  a  living  man,  there  is  noth- 
ing more  wonderful  than  a  book  !  —  a  message  to  us  from 
the  dead,  from  human  souls  whom  we  never  saw,  who  lived, 
perhaps,  thousands  of  miles  away ;  and  yet  these,  on  those 
little  sheets  of  paper,  speak  to  us,  amuse  us,  vivify  us,  teach 
us,  comfort  us,  open  their  hearts  to  us  as  to  brothers." 

Lamb,  Charles.  "  Milton  almost  requires  a  solemn  ser- 
vice of  music  to  be  played  before  you  enter  upon  him.  But 
he  brings  his  music,  to  which  who  listens  had  need  bring 
docile  thoughts  and  purged  ears." 

Landor,  Walter  Savage.  "  The  writings  of  the  wise  are 
the  only  riches  our  posterity  cannot  squander." 


1 82  THE   BEST  THOUGHTS   OF   GREAT   IVIEN 

Langford.  "  Strong  as  man  and  tender  as  woman,  they 
welcome  you  in  every  mood,  and  never  turn  from  you  in 
distress." 

Lowell.  "  Have  you  ever  rightly  considered  what  the 
noere  ability  to  read  means  ?  That  it  is  the  key  that  admits 
us  to  the  whole  world  of  thought  and  fancy  and  imagination, 
to  the  company  of  saint  and  sage,  of  the  wisest  and  the  wit- 
tiest at  their  wisest  and  wittiest  moments  ?  That  it  enables 
us  to  see  with  the  keenest  eyes,  hear  with  the  finest  ears, 
and  listen  to  the  sweetest  voices  of  all  time?  .  .  .  One  is 
sometimes  asked  by  young  people  to  recommend  a  course 
of  reading.  My  advice  would  be  that  they  should  confine 
themselves  to  the  supreme  books  in  whatever  literature,  or, 
still  better,  to  choose  some  one  great  author,  and  make  them- 
selves thoroughly  familiar  with  him." 

Luther.  "  To  read  many  books  produceth  confusion, 
rather  than  learning,  like  as  those  who  dwell  everywhere  are 
not  anywhere  at  home." 

Lyly,  John.  "  Far  more  seemly  were  it  ...  to  have  thy 
study  full  of  books  than  thy  purse  full  of  money." 

Lytton,  Lord. 

"  Laws  die,  books  never." 

"  Beneath  the  rule  of  men  entirely  great 
The  pen  is  mightier  than  the  sword." 

"Ye  ever-living  and  imperial  Souls, 
Who  rule  us  from  the  page  in  which  ye  breathe." 

"  The  Wise 
(Minstrel  or  Sage)  ott^  of  their  books  are  clay; 
But  /;/  their  books,  as  from  their  graves,  they  rise. 
Angels  —  that,  side  by  side,  upon  our  way, 
Walk  with  and  warn  us  !  " 


ABOUT   BOOKS   AND    READING.  183 

"  We  call  some  books  immortal !     Do  they  live  ? 
If  so,  believe  me,  Time  hath  made  them  pure. 
In  Books  the  veriest  wicked  rest  in  peace,  — 
God  wills  that  nothing  evil  should  endure  ; 
The  grosser  parts  fly  off  and  leave  the  whole, 
As  the  dust  leaves  the  disembodied  soul !  " 

Macaulay.  "  A  great  writer  is  the  friend  and  benefactor 
of  his  readers." 

Milton.  "  As  good  almost  kill  a  man  as  kill  a  good  book. 
Who  kills  a  man  kills  a  reasonable  creature,  God's  image ; 
but  he  who  destroys  a  good  book  kills  reason  itself,  —  kills 
the  image  of  God,  as  it  w^ere,  in  the  eye.  Many  a  man  lives 
a  burden  to  the  earth  ;  but  a  good  book  is  the  precious 
life-blood  of  a  master  spirit,  embalmed  and  treasured  up 
on  purpose  to  a  life  beyond." 

Montaigne.  *'  To  divert  myself  from  a  troublesome  fancy, 
'tis  but  to  run  to  my  books." 

"  As  to  what  concerns  my  other  reading,  that  mixes  a  little 
more  profit  with  the  pleasure,  and  from  whence  I  learn  how 
to  marshal  my  opinions  and  qualities,  the  books  that  serve 
me  to  this  purpose  are  Plutarch  and  Seneca,  —  both  of  which 
have  this  great  convenience  suited  to  my  humor,  that  the 
knowledge  I  seek  is  discoursed  in  loose  pieces  that  do  not 
engage  me  in  any  great  trouble  of  reading  long,  of  which  I 
am  impatient.  .  .  .  Plutarch  is  frank  throughout.  Seneca 
abounds  with  brisk  touches  and  sallies.  Plutarch,  with  things 
that  heat  and  move  you  more ;  this  contents  and  pays  you 
better.  As  to  Cicero,  those  of  his  works  that  are  most  useful 
to  my  design  are  they  that  treat  of  philosophy,  especially 
moral ;  but  boldly  to  confess  the  truth,  his  way  of  writing, 
and  that  of  all  other  long-winded  authors,  appears  to  me 
very  tedious." 


1 84         THE   BEST  THOUGHTS    OF   GREAT   MEN 

Morley,  John.  "  The  consolation  of  reading  is  not  futile 
nor  imaginary.  It  is  no  chimera  of  the  recluse  or  the  book- 
worm, but  a  potent  reality.  As  a  stimulus  to  flagging  ener- 
gies, as  an  inspirer  of  lofty  aim,  literature  stands  unrivalled." 

Morris,  "William.  "  The  greater  part  of  the  Latins  I  should 
call  sha7n  classics.  I  suppose  that  they  have  some  good  lit- 
erary qualities ;  but  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  it  is  difficult 
to  find  out  how  much.  I  suspect  superstition  and  author- 
ity have  influenced  our  estimate  of  them  till  it  has  become 
a  mere  matter  of  convention  Of  modern  fiction,  I  should 
like  to  say  here  that  I  yield  to  no  one,  not  even  Ruskin,  in 
my  love  and  admiration  for  Scott ;  also  that,  to  my  mind,  of 
the  novelists  of  our  generation,  Dickens  is  immeasurably 
ahead." 

Miiller,  Max.  *'  I  know  few  books,  if  any,  which  I  should 
call  good  from  beginning  to  end.  Take  the  greatest  poet  of 
antiquity,  and  if  I  am  to  speak  the  truth,  the  whole  truth, 
and  nothing  but  the  truth,  I  must  say  that  there  are  long  pas- 
sages, even  in  Homer,  which  seem  to  me  extremely  tedious." 

Parker,  Thtjodore.  "  What  a  joy  is  there  in  a  good  book, 
writ  by  some  great  master  of  thought,  who  breaks  into  beauty, 
as  in  summer  the  meadow  into  grass  and  dandelions  and 
violets,  with  geraniums  and  manifold  sweetness.  .  .  .  The 
books  which  help  you  most  are  those  which  make  you  think 
most.  ...  A  great  book  ...  is  a  ship  of  thought  deep 
freighted  with  thought,  with  beauty  too.  It  sails  the  ocean, 
driven  by  the  winds  of  heaven,  breaking  the  level  sea  of  life 
into  beauty  where  it  goes,  leaving  behind  it  a  train  of  spark- 
ling loveliness,  widening  as  the  ship  goes  on.  And  what 
treasures  it  brings  to  every  land,  scattering  the  seeds  of 
truth,  justice,  love,  and  piety,  to  bless  the  world  in  ages  yet 
to  come." 


ABOUT   BOOKS   AND    READING.  1 85 

Peacham,  Henry.  "  To  desire  to  have  many  books  and 
never  to  use  them,  is  Hke  a  child  that  will  have  a  candle 
burning  by  him  all  the  while  he  is  sleeping." 

Petrarch.  "  I  have  friends  whose  society  is  extremely 
agreeable  to  me ;  they  are  of  all  ages  and  of  every  country. 
They  have  distinguished  themselves  both  in  the  cabinet  and 
in  the  field,  and  obtained  high  honors  for  their  knowledge  of 
the  sciences.  It  is  easy  to  gain  access  to  them,  for  they  are 
always  at  my  service ;  and  I  admit  them  to  my  company 
and  dismiss  them  from  it  whenever  I  please.  They  are 
never  troublesome,  but  immediately  answer  every  question  I 
ask  them.  Some  relate  to  me  the  events  of  past  ages, 
while  others  reveal  to  me  the  secrets  of  Nature.  Some  teach 
me  how  to  live,  and  others  how  to  die.  Some,  by  their 
vivacity,  drive  away  my  cares  and  exhilarate  my  spirits  ;  while 
others  give  fortitude  to  my  mind,  and  teach  me  the  impor- 
tant lesson  how  to  restrain  my  desires  and  to  depend  wholly 
on  myself.  They  open  to  me,  in  short,  the  various  avenues 
of  all  the  arts  and  sciences,  and  upon  their  information  I 
safely  rely  in  all  emergencies." 

Phelps,  E.  J.  (United  States  Minister  to  the  Court  of  St. 
James).  "  I  cannot  think  th^Jinis  et fructus  of  liberal  read- 
ing is  reached  by  him  who  has  not  obtained  in  the  best  writ- 
ings of  our  English  tongue  the  generous  acquaintance  that 
ripens  into  affection.  If  he  must  stint  himself,  let  him  save 
elsewhere!" 

Plabo.     "  Books  are  the  immortal  sons  deifying  their  sires." 

Plutarch.  "  We  ought  to  regard  books  as  we  do  sweet- 
meats, —  not  wholly  to  aim  at  the  pleasantest,  but  chiefly  to 
respect  the  wholesomest." 

Potter,  Dr.  "It  is  nearly  an  axiom  that  people  will  not 
be  better  than  the  books  they  read." 


1 86    THE  BEST  THOUGHTS  OF  GREAT  MEN 

Raleigh,  Walter.  "  We  may  gather  out  of  history  a  policy 
no  less  wise  than  eternal,  by  the  comparison  and  application 
of  other  men's  fore-passed  miseries  with  our  own  like  errors 
and  ill-deservings." 

Richardson,  C.  F.  "  No  book,  indeed,  is  of  universal 
value  and  appropriateness.  .  .  .  Here,  as  in  every  other 
question  involved  in  the  choice  of  books,  the  golden  key 
to  knowledge,  a  key  that  will  only  fit  its  own  proper  doors,  is 
purposed 

Ruskin.  "  All  books  are  divisible  into  two  classes,  — ■  the 
books  of  the  hour  and  the  books  of  all  time."  Books  of  the 
hour,  though  useful,  are,  "  strictly  speaking,  not  books  at  all, 
but  merely  letters  or  newspapers  in  good  print,"  and  should 
not  be  allowed  "  to  usurp  the  place  of  true  books." 

"  Of  all  the  plagues  that  afflict  mortality,  the  venom  of  a 
bad  book  to  weak  people,  and  the  charms  of  a  foolish  one  to 
simple  people,  are  without  question  the  deadliest ;  and  they 
are  so  far  from  being  redeemed  by  the  too  imperfect  work  of 
the  best  writers,  that  I  never  would  wish  to  see  a  child  taught 
to  read  at  all,  unless  the  other  conditions  of  its  education 
were  alike  gentle  and  judicious." 

Ruskin  says  a  well-trained  man  should  know  the  literature 
of  his  own  country  and  half  a  dozen  classics  thoroughly  ;  but 
unless  he  wishes  to  travel,  the  language  and  literature  of 
modern  Europe  and  of  the  East  are  unnecessary.  To  read 
fast  any  book  worth  reading  is  folly.  Ruskin  would*  not  have 
us  read  Grote's  "  History  of  Greece,"  for  any  one  could 
write  it  if  "  he  had  the  vanity  to  waste  his  time  ;  "  "  Confes- 
sions of  Saint  Augustine,"  for  it  is  not  good  to  think  so  much 
about  ourselves ;  John  Stuart  Mill,  for  his  day  is  over ; 
Charles  Kingsley,  for  his  sentiment  is  false,  his  tragedy 
frightful.     Hypatia  is  the  most  ghastly  story  in  Christian  tra- 


ABOUT   BOOKS   AND    READING.  1 8/ 

dition,  and  should  forever  have  been  left  in  silence  ;  Darwin, 
for  we  should  know  what  we  are,  not  what  oicr  embryo  was, 
or  our  skeleton  will  be;  Gibbon,  for  we  should  study  the 
growth  and  standing  of  things,  not  the  Decline  and  Fall 
(moreover,  he  wrote  the  worst  English  ever  written  by  an 
educated  Englishmen)  ;  Voltaire,  for  his  work  is  to  good 
literature  what  nitric  acid  is  to  wine,  and  sulphuretted  hydro- 
gen to  air. 

Ruskin  also  crosses  out  Marcus  Aurelius,  Confucius,  Aris- 
totle (except  his  "Politics"),  Mahomet,  Saint  Augustine, 
Thomas  a  Kempis,  Pascal,  Spinoza,  Buder,  Keble,  Lucretius, 
the  Nibelungenlied,  Malory's  Morte  D'Arthur,  Firdusi,  the 
Mahabharata,  and  Ramayana,  the  Sheking,  Sophocles,  and 
Euripides,  Hume,  Adam  Smith,  Locke,  Descartes,  Berke- 
ley, Lewes,  Southey,  Longfellow,  Swift,  Macaulay,  Emer- 
son, Goethe,  Thackeray,  Kingsley,  George  Eliot,  and 
Bulwer. 

His  especial  favorites  are  Scott,  Carlyle,  Plato,  and  Dickens. 
yEschylus,  Taylor,  Bunyan,  Bacon,  Shakspeare,  Milton,  Dante, 
Spenser,  Wordsworth,  Pope,  Goldsmith,  Defoe,  Boswell, 
Burke,  Addison,  Montaigne,  Moliere,  Sheridan,  yF^sop,  De- 
mosthenes, Plutarch,  Horace,  Cicero,  Homer,  Hesiod,  Virgil, 
Aristophanes,  Herodotus,  Xenophon,  Thucydides,  and  Taci- 
tus, he  condescends  to  admit  as  proper  to  be  read. 

Schopenhauer.  "  Recollect  that  he  who  writes  for  fools 
finds  an  enormous  audience." 

Seneca.  "  If  you  devote  your  time  to  study,  you  will 
avoid  all  the  irksomeness  of  this  life." 

"  It  does  not  matter  how  many,  but  how  good,  books  you 
have." 

"  Leisure  without  study  is  death,  and  the  grave  of  a  living 
man." 


1 88         THE   BEST   THOUGHTS    OF   GREAT  MEN 

Shakspeare.  "  A  book  !  oh,  rare  one  !  be  not,  as  in  this 
fangled  world,  a  garment  nobler  than  it  covers." 

*'  My  library  was  dukedom  large  enough." 

Sidney,  Sir  Philip.  "  Nature  never  set  forth  the  earth 
in  so  rich  tapestry  as  divers  poets  have  done." 

Smiles,  Sam.  "  Men  often  discover  their  affinity  to  each 
other  by  the  mutual  love  they  have  for  a  book." 

Smith,  Alexander.  "We  read  books  not  so  much  for 
what  they  say  as  for  what  they  suggest." 

Socrates.  "  Employ  your  time  in  improving  yourselves 
by  other  men's  documents  ;  so  shall  you  come  easily  by  what 
others  have  labored  hard  to  win." 

Solomon.  "  He  that  walketh  with  wise  men  shall  be 
wise." 

Spencer,  Herbert.  "  My  reading  has  been  much  more  in 
the  direction  of  science  fhan  in  the  direction  of  general  lite- 
rature ;  and  of  such  works  in  general  literature  as  I  have 
looked  into,  I  know  comparatively  little,  being  an  impatient 
reader,  and  usually  soon  satisfied." 

Stanley,  Henry  M.  "  I  carried  [across  Africa]  a  great 
many  books,  —  three  loads,  or  about  one  hundred  and  eighty 
pounds'  weight ;  but  as  my  men  lessened  in  numbers,  — 
stricken  by  famine,  fighting,  and  sickness,  —  one  by  one  they 
were  reluctantly  thrown  away,  until  finally,  when  less  than 
three  hundred  miles  from  the  Atlantic,  I  possessed  only  the 
Bible,  Shakspeare,  Carlyle's  Sartor  Resartus,  Norie's  Navi- 
gation, and  the  Nautical  Almanac  for  1877.  Poor  Shak- 
speare was  afterwards  burned  by  demand  of  the  foolish  people 
ofZinga.  At  Bonea,  Carlyle  and  Norie  and  the  Nautical 
Almanac  were  pitched  away,  and  I  had  only  the  old  Bible 
left." 

Swinburne,  A.  C.     "  It  would  be  superfluous  for  any  edu- 


ABOUT   BOOKS   AND    READING.  1 89 

cated  Englishman  to  say  that  he  does  not  question  the  pre- 
eminence of  such  names  as  Bacon  and  Darwin." 

Taylor,  Bayard.     "  Not  many,  but  good  books." 

Thoreau.  "  Books  that  are  books  are  all  that  you  want, 
and  there  are  but  half  a  dozen  in  any  thousand." 

Trollope,  Anthony.  "  The  habit  of  reading  is  the  only 
enjoyment  I  know  in  which  there  is  no  alloy ;  it  lasts  when 
all  other  pleasures  fade." 

Waller,  Sir  William.  "  In  my  study  I  am  sure  to  con- 
verse with  none  but  wise  men ;  but  abroad,  it  is  impossible 
for  me  to  avoid  the  society  of  fools." 

Whateley,  Richard.  *'  If,  in  reading  books,  a  man  does 
not  choose  wisely,  at  any  rate  he  has  the  chance  offered  him 
of  doing  so." 

Whipple,  Edwin  P.  "  Books,  —  lighthouses  erected  in 
the  sea  of  time." 

White,  Andrew  D.,  President  of  Cornell,  speaking  of 
Scott,  says  :  "  Never  was  there  a  more  healthful  and  health- 
ministering  literature  than  that  which  he  gave  to  the  world. 
To  go  back  to  it  from  Flaubert  and  Daudet  and  Tolstoi  is 
like  listening  to  the  song  of  the  lark  after  the  shrieking  pas- 
sion of  the  midnight  pianoforte  ;  nay,  it  is  like  coming  out 
of  the  glare  and  heat  and  reeking  vapor  of  a  palace  ball  into 
a  grove  in  the  first  light  and  music  and  breezes  of  the  morn- 
ing. ...  So  far  from  stimulating  an  unhealthy  taste,  the  en- 
joyment of  this  fiction  created  distinctly  a  taste  for  what  is 
usually  called  '  solid  reading,'  and  especially  a  love  for  that 
historical  reading  and  study  which  has  been  a  leading  inspi- 
ration and  solace  of  a  busy  life." 

Whitman,  Walt.     "  For  us,  along  the  great  highways  of  ■ 
time,  those  monuments  stand,  —  those  forms  of  majesty  and 
beauty.    For  us  those  beacons  burn  through  all  the  night." 


I90         THE   BEST  THOUGHTS   OF   GREAT   MEN. 

Wolseley,  Gen.  Lord.  "  During  the  mutiny  and  China  war 
I  carried  a  Testament,  two  volumes  of  Siiakspeare  that  con- 
tained his  best  plays ;  and  since  then,  when  in  the  field,  I  have 
always  carried  a  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  Thomas  a  Kempis, 
Soldier's  Pocket  Book,  depending  on  a  well-organized  postal 
service  to  supply  me  weekly  with  plenty  of  newspapers." 

Wordsworth.  "  These  hoards  of  wealth  you  can  unlock 
at  will." 


APPENDIX     11. 


BOOKS  FOR  SUPPLEMENTARY  READING. 

BOYS'    LATIN    SCHOOL. 

Moss'  First  Greek  Reader.  Tomlinson's  Latin  for  Sight 
Reading.  Walford's  Extracts  from  Cicero  (Part  L).  Jack- 
son's Manual  of  Astronomical  Geography.  Ritchie's  Fabu- 
lae  Faciles. 

GIRLS*   LATIN    SCHOOL. 

Sheldon's  Greek  and  Roman  History.  Ritchie's  Fabulae 
Faciles. 

LATIN   AND    HIGH    SCHOOLS. 

Books  required  for  admission  to  Harvard  College. 

A  list  of  suitable  books,  carefully  prepared  under  the  di- 
rection of  the  Committee  on  Text-Books,  is  presented  to 
the  Board  for  adoption.  After  this  list  has  been  adopted,  a 
master  may  make  requisition  on  the  Committee  on  Sup- 
plies for  one  set  (of  not  more  than  thirty-five  copies)  of  a 
book.  This  committee,  after  the  approval  of  the  Committee 
on  Text-Books  has  been  obtained,  will  purchase  the  books 
and  send  them  to  the  school  for  permanent  use.  No  book 
will  be  purchased  until  called  for  in  the  manner  described. 


192         BOOKS   FOR   SUPPLEMENTARY    READING. 

English.  —  Barnes's  History  of  Ancient  Peoples  ;  Church's 
Stories  from  the  East,  from  Herodotus  ;  Church's  Story  of 
the  Persian  War,  from  Herodotus  ;  Church's  Stories  from 
the  Greek  Tragedians ;  Kingsley's  Greek  Heroes ;  Abbott's 
Lives  of  Cyrus  and  Alexander  ;  Froude's  Caesar  ;  Forsythe's 
Life  of  Cicero  ;  Ware's  Aurelian  ;  Cox's  Crusades  ;  Masson's 
Abridgment  of  Guizot's  History  of  France ;  Scott's  Abbot ; 
Scott's  Monastery ;  Scott's  Talisman ;  Scott's  Quentin  Dur- 
vvard  ;  Scott's  Marmion  (Rolfe's  Student  series)  ;  Scott's  Lay 
of  the  Last  Minstrel  (Rolfe's  Student  series)  ;  Kingsley's 
Hereward ;  Kingsley's  Westward  Ho ;  Melville's  Holmby 
House  ;  Macaulay's  Essay  on  Frederic ;  Macaulay's  Essay 
on  Clive ;  Macaulay's  Essay  on  Dr.  Johnson ;  Motley's 
Essay  on  Peter  the  Great ;  Thackeray's  Henry  Esmond ; 
Thackeray's  The  Virginians  ;  Thackeray's  The  Four  Georges  ; 
Dickens'  Tale  of  Two  Cities ;  George  Eliot's  Silas  Mar- 
ner ;  Irving's  Alhambra ;  Irving's  Bracebridge  Hall ;  Miss 
Buckley's  Life  and  her  Children ;  Miss  Buckley's  Winners 
in  Life's  Race ;  Bulfinch's  Age  of  Fable  (revised  edition) ; 
The  Boy's  Froissart ;  Ballads  and  Lyrics ;  Vicar  of  Wake- 
field;  Essays  of  Elia ;  Tennyson's  Selected  Poems  (Rolfe's 
Student  series)  ;  Tennyson's  Elaine ;  Tennyson's  In  Memo- 
riam ;  Byron's  Prisoner  of  Chillon ;  Goldsmith's  Deserted 
Village ;  Goldsmith's  Traveller ;  Coleridge's  Ancient  Mar- 
iner ;  Wordsworth's  Excursion ;  Monroe's  Sixth  Reader ; 
Webster  —  Section  2  [Annotated  English  Classics,  Ginn  & 
Co.] ;  Wordsworth's  Poems  —  Section  2  [Annotated  Eng- 
lish Classics,  Ginn  &  Co.] ;  Sheldon's  Greek  and  Roman 
History ;  Monroe's  Fifth  Reader  (old  edition). 

French.  —  St.  German's  Pour  une  Epingle ;  Achard's  Le 
Clos  Pommier ;  Feuillet's  Roman  d'un  Homme  Pauvre ; 
Dumas's  La  Tulipe  Noire ;  Vigny's  Cinq  Mars^;  Lacombe's 
La  Petite  Histoire  du  Peuple  Fran^ais. 


BOOKS   FOR   SUPPLEMENTARY  READING.         1 93 

German.  —  Andersen's  Marchen  ;  Simmondson's  Balla- 
denbuch ;  Krummacher's  Parabeln  ;  Goethe's  Iphigenie  auf 
Tauris ;  Goethe's  Prose  ;  Schiller's  Jungfrau  vcni  Orleans ; 
Schiller's  Prose ;  Boisen's  German  Prose ;  Bernhardt's  No- 
vellen  Bibliothek. 

GRAMMAR   SCHOOLS. 

Class  VL  {about  Ten  Years  old). 

Seven  Little  Sisters,  first  half-year.  Each  and  All,  second 
half-year.  This  is  simple,  interesting  class-reading,  which 
will  aid  the  geography,  and  furnish  material  for  both  oral  and 
written  language  lessons.  Hooker's  Child's  Book  of  Nature  ; 
those  chapters  of  Parts  L  and  IL,  which  will  supplement 
properly  the  observational  studies  of  plants  and  animals,  and 
those  chapters  of  Part  IIL,  on  air,  water,  and  heat,  which 
will  aid  the  instruction  in  Geography.  Our  World  Reader, 
No.  I.  Our  World,  No.  i  ;  the  reading  to  be  kept  parallel 
with  the  instruction  in  Geography  through  the  year.  Poetry  for 
Children ;  selections  appropriate  for  reading  and  recitation. 

Class  V.  (about  Eleven  Years  old). 

Stories  of  American  History ;  for  practice  in  reading  at 
sight,  and  for  material  for  language  lessons.  Guyot's  Intro- 
duction to  Geography ;  the  reading  to  be  kept  parallel  with 
the  instruction  in  Geography  through  the  year.  Hooker's 
Child's  Book  of  Nature,  and  Poetry  for  Children ;  as  in  Class 
VL     Robinson  Crusoe. 

Class  IV.  (about  Twelve  Years  old). 

The  Wonder  Book  and  Tanglewood  Tales,  as  collateral  to 
the   oral  instruction   in   Stories  in   Mythology.      Hooker's 


194        BOOKS   FOR   SUPPLEMENTARY   READING. 

Child's  Book  of  Nature,  and  Poetry  for  Children  ;  as  in 
Classes  VI.  and  V.  Readings  from  Nature's  Book  (revised 
edition).     Robinson  Crusoe. 

Class  III.  {about  Thirteen  Years  old). 

Hooker's  Child's  Book  of  Nature  ;  as  supplementary  to 
oral  lessons.  American  Poems,  with  Biographical  Sketches 
and  Notes ;  appropriate  selections  therefrom. 

Class  1 1,  {about  Fourteen  Years  old). 

Selections  from  American  authors ;  as  in  part  collateral 
to  the  United  States  History.  American  Poems ;  appro- 
priate selections  therefrom. 

Class  I.  {about  Fiftee7i  Years  old). 

Selections  from  American  authors.  Early  England  —  Har- 
per's Half-Hour  Series,  Nos.  6  and  14.  American  Poems; 
selections  therefrom.  Green's  Readings  from  English  His- 
tory.    Phillips's  Historical  Readers,  Nos.  i,  2,  3,  4. 

Any  Class. 

Six  Stories  from  the  Arabian  Nights.  Holmes'  and  Long- 
fellow Leaflets,  published  by  Houghton,  Mifflin,  &  Co.  Book 
of  Golden  Deeds.  Jackson's  Manual  of  Astronomical  Geog- 
raphy.    Parkman  Leaflets,  pubhshed  by  Litde,  Brown,  &  Co. 

Circulating  Library  for  Grammar  Schools. 

Zigzag  Journeys  in  Europe  (revised  edition)  ;  Zigzag  Jour- 
neys in  the  Orient  (revised  edition)  ;  Scudder's  Boston 
Town ;  Drake's  The  Making  of  New  England ;  Towle's 
Pizarro  ;  Towle's  Vasco  da  Gama ;  Towle's  Magellan  ;  Fairy 
Land  of  Science ;    Hawthorne's  True  Stories ;   Higginson's 


BOOKS  FOR  SUPPLEMENTARY  READING.    1 95 

Young  Folks'  Book  of  Explorers ;  Scott's  Ivanhoe  ;  Long- 
fellow's Evangeline ;  Little  Folks  in  Feathers  and  Fur ; 
What  Mr.  Darwin  saw  in  his  Voyage  around  the  World  in 
the  Ship  Beagle ;  Muloch's  A  Noble  Life ;  M.  E.  Dodge's 
Hans  Brinker ;  Lambert's  Robinson  Crusoe  ;  Lamb's  Tales 
from  Shakspeare  (revised  edition,  Houghton,  Mifflin,  &  Co.)  ; 
Abbott's  Jonas  on  a  P'arm  in  Summer ;  Smiles'  Robert 
Dick,  Geologist  and  Botanist ;  Eyes  Right ;  Alcott's  Lit- 
tle Men ;  Alcott's  Little  Women ;  Stoddards  Dab  Kin- 
zer;  Scott's  Kenilworth  ;  Tom  Brown's  School-Days  at 
Rugby ;  Abbott's  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  ;  Abbott's  Charles  I. ; 
Taylor's  Boys  of  Other  Countries ;  How  Marjory  Helped ; 
Little  People  in  Asia ;  Oilman's  Magna  Charta  Stories ; 
Overhead ;  Yonge's  Lances  of  Linwood ;  Memory  Gems ; 
Geographical  Plays  ;  Ten  Boys  Who  Lived  on  the  Road 
from  Long  Ago  till  Now ;  Scott's  Tales  of  a  Grandfather ; 
Hayes'  Cast  Away  in  the  Cold ;  Sharp  Eyes  and  other 
Papers ;  Lessons  on  Practical  Subjects ;  Stories  of  Mother 
Nature  ;  Play  Days  ;  Jackanapes  ;  Children's  Stories  of  Ameri- 
can Progress ;  Little  Lord  Fauntleroy ;  Oilman's  Historical 
Readers  (three  volumes)  ;  Pilgrims  and  Puritans ;  The  Patri- 
otic Reader;  Ballou's  Footprints  of  Travel. 


PRIMARY   SCHOOLS. 

Permanent  Supplementary  Reading. 

Easy  Steps  for  Little  Feet.  Popular  Tales  (first  and  sec- 
ond series.)  Parker  &  Marvel's  Supplementary  Reading 
(first  book).  Tweed's  Graded  Supplementary  Reading. 
Modern  Series  Primary  Reading,  Part  I.  An  Illustrated 
Primer  (D.  C.  Heath  &  Co.). 


196    BOOKS  FOR  SUPPLEMENTARY  READING. 

Circulating  Supplementary  Reading. 

First  Readers.  —  Monroe's,    Monroe's    Advanced    First, 

Appleton's,  Harvey's,  Eclectic,  Sheldon's,  Barnes'  New  Na- 
tional, Sheldon  &  Co.'s,  Harper's,  The  Nursery  Primer, 
Parker  &  Marvel's  Supplementary  Reading  (second  book), 
Wood's  First  Natural  History  Reader,  Stickney's  First 
Reader,  Stickney's  First  Reader  (new  edition),  McGuffey's 
Alternate  First  Reader. 

Second  Readers.  —  Monroe's,  Monroe's  Advanced  Sec- 
ond, Appleton's,  Harvey's,  Lippincott's,  Sheldon  &  Co.'s, 
Barnes'  New  National,  Analytical,  Macmillan's,  Svvinton's, 
New  Normal,  Stickney's  Second  Reader  (new  edition), 
Harper's  Easy  Book  (published  by  Shorey),  Turner's  Stories 
for  Young  Children,  Our  Little  Ones,  Golden  Book  of 
Choice  Reading,  When  I  was  a  Little  Girl,  Johonnot's 
Friends  in  Feathers  and  Fur,  Woodward's  Number  Stories, 
Wood's  Second  Natural  History  Reader,  Young  Folks'  Li- 
brary, Nos.  5  and  6  (Silver,  Burdett,  &  Co.). 


SUPPLEMENTARY  READING  IN  ONE  BUILD- 
ING, NOVEMBER,   1890. 

GRAMMAR   SCHOOL. 
Cl.'VSS  I.   {about  Fifteen  Years  old). 
Longfellow's  Poems. 

Class  II.  {about  Fourteen  Years  old), 

Hans  Brinker.     Mary  Mapes  Dodge. 
How  Marjory  Helped.     M.  Caroll. 
Magellan's  Voyages. 
Ivanhoe.     Scott. 


TEXT-BOOKS.  197 

Class  III.  {about  Thirteen  Years  old), 
American  Explorers.     Higginson. 

Class  IV.  {about  Twelve  Years  old), 

Playdays.     Sarah  O.  Jewett. 

Water  Babies.     Kingsley. 

Physiology. 

A  Child's  Book  of  Nature.     W.  Hooker. 

Class  V.  {about  Eleven  Years  old) . 

Stories  of  American  History.     N.  S.  Dodge. 
Guyot's  Geography. 

Class  VI.  {about  Ten  Years  old) . 

The   Arabian   Nights'    Entertainments.      Six    stories    by 
Samuel  Eliot. 

Our  World.     Mary  L.  Hall. 
The  Seven  Little  Sisters.     Jane  Andrews. 
Each  and  All.     Jane  Andrews. 
Poetry  for  Children.     Samuel  Eliot. 


TEXT-BOOKS. 

PRIMARY  SCHOOLS. 

Third  Class.  —  Franklin  Primer  and  Advanced  First 
Reader.     Munroe's  Primary  Reading  Charts. 

Second  Class.  —  Franklin  Second  Reader.  Franklin  Ad- 
vanced Second  Reader.     First  Music  Reader. 


198  TEXT- BOOKS. 

First  Class.  —  Franklin  Third  Reader.  ■*  New  Franklin 
Third  Reader.     First  Music  Reader. 

Upper  Classes. — ^Franklin  Primary  Aridimetic.  First 
Lessons  in  Natural  History  and  Language,  Parts  I.  and  II. 
Child's  Book  of  Language,  Nos.  i,  2,  3.  [By  J.  H. 
Stickney.] 

All  the  Classes.  —  American  Text-books  of  Art  Education. 
First  Primary  Music  Chart.  Prang's  Natural  History  Series, 
one  set  for  each  building. 

Magnus  &  Jeffries's  Color  Chart ;  ''  Color  Blindness,"  by 
Dr.  B.  Joy  Jeffries.  —  One  copy  of  the  Chart  and  one  copy 
of  the  book  for  use  in  each  Primary-School  building. 

Normal  Music  Course  in  the  Rice  Training  School  and  in 
the  schools  of  the  third  and  sixth  divisions.  National  Music 
Course  (revised  edition)  in  the  schools  of  the  first  and  second 
divisions. 

GRAMMAR  SCHOOLS. 

Sixth  Class.  —  Franklin  Advanced  Third  Reader.  ^  War- 
ren's Primary  GeograjDhy.  Intermediate  Music  Reader. 
Franklin  Elementary  Arithmetic.  *Greenleafs  Manual  of 
Mental  Arithmetic.     Worcester's  Spelling-Book. 

Fifth  Class.  —  Franklin  Intermediate  Reader.  -^  New 
Franklin  Fourth  Reader.     Franklin  Elementary  Arithmetic. 

'  To  be  furnished  at  the  discretion  of  the  Committee  on  Supplies. 

^  Each  Primary-School  building  occupied  by  a  first  or  second  class  to  be 
supplied  with  one  set  of  the  Franklin  Primary  Arithmetic;  the  number  in  a 
set  to  be  sixty,  or,  if  less  be  needed,  less  than  sixty;  the  Committee  on  Sup- 
plies are  authorized  to  supply  additional  copies  of  the  book  at  their  discretion, 
if  needed. 

3  Swinton's  Introductory  Geography  allowed  in  Charlestown  Schools. 

"*  To  be  used  in  the  manner  recommended  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in 
School  Document  No.  14,  1883;  one  set  of  sixty  copies  to  be  supplied  for  the 
classes  on  each  floor  of  a  Grammar-School  building  occupied  by  pupils  in  either 
of  the  four  lower  classes,  and  for  each  colony  of  a  Grammar  School. 


TEXT-BOOKS.  I99 

^Greenleafs  Manual  of  Mental  Arithmetic.  ^  Warren's  Pri- 
mary Geography.  Intermediate  Music  Reader.  Worcester's 
Spelling-Book. 

Fourth  Class.  —  Franklin  Fourth  Reader.  ^  New  Franklin 
Fourth  Reader.  Worcester's  Comprehensive  Dictionary. 
Franklin  Written  Arithmetic.  -^  Greenleaf's  Manual  of  Mental 
Arithmetic.  ^Warren's  Common-School  Geography.  Inter- 
mediate Music  Reader.  Worcester's  Spelling-Book.  ^  Blais- 
dell's  How  to  Keep  Well. 

Third  Class.  —  Franklin  Fifth  Reader.  ^  New  Franklin 
Fifth  Reader.  Franklin  Written  Arithmetic.  ^  Greenleafs 
Manual  of  Mental  Arithmetic.  ^Warren's  Common-School 
Geography.  Swinton's  New  Language  Lessons.  Worces- 
ter's Comprehensive  Dictionary.  Higginson's  History  of  the 
United  States.  *  Fourth  Music  Reader.  [Revised  edition.] 
^  Blaisdeirs  How  to  Keep  Well. 

Second  Class.  —  Franklin  Fifth  Reader.  ^  New  Franklin 
Fifth  Reader.  Franklin  Written  Arithmetic.  ^  Warren's 
Common-School  Geography.  Tweed's  Grammar  for  Com- 
mon Schools.  Worcester's  Comprehensive  Dictionary. 
Higginson's  History  of  the  United  States.  ■*  Fourth  Music 
Reader.  [Revised  edition.]  Smith's  Elementary  Physio- 
logy and  Hygiene. 

1  To  be  used  in  the  manner  recommended  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in 
School  Document  No,  14,  1883;  one  set  of  sixty  copies  to  be  supplied  for  the 
classes  on  each  floor  of  a  Grammar-School  building  occupied  by  pupils  in  either 
of  the  four  lower  classes,  and  for  each  colony  of  a  Grammar  School. 

2  The  revised  edition  to  be  furnished  at  the  discretion  of  the  Committee  on 
Supplies  to  schools  where  this  book  is  used,  Swinton's  Grammar-School 
Geography  allowed  in  Charlestown  Schools. 

^  To  be  furnished  at  the  discretion  of  the  Committee  on  Supplies, 

4  The  revised  edition. to  be  supplied  as  new  books  are  needed, 

5  One  set  of  not  more  than  sixty  copies,  or,  if  determined  by  the  Committee 
on  Supplies  to  be  necessary,  more  than  one  set,  be  placed  in  each  Grammar 
School,  for  use  as  collateral  reading  in  the  third  and  fourth  classes. 


200  TEXT-BOOKS. 

First  Class.  —  Franklin  Sixth  Reader.  Franklin  Writ- 
ten Arithmetic.  Meservey's  Book-keeping,  Single  Entry. 
*  Warren's  Common  School  Geography.  Tweed's  Grammar 
for  Common  Schools.  Worcester's  Comprehensive  Dic- 
tionary. Stone's  History  of  England.  Cooley's  Elements 
of  Philosophy.     ^  Fourth  Music  Reader.     [Revised  edition.] 

Fifth  and  Sixth  Classes.  —  First  Lessons  in  Natural  His- 
tory and  Language.     Parts  IIL  and  IV. 

All  Classes.  —  American  Text-books  of  Art  Education. 
Writing- Books  :  Duntonian  Series  ;  Payson,  Dunton,  and 
Scribner's ;  Harper's  Copy-books ;  Appleton's  Writing- 
Books.  Child's  Book  of  Language ;  and  Letters  and  Les- 
sons in  Language,  Nos.  i,,  2,  3,  4.  [By  J.  H.  Stickney.] 
Prang's  Aids  for  Object  Teaching,  "  Trades,"  one  set  for 
each  building. 

Normal  Music  Course  in  the  Rice  Training  School  and 

the  schools  of  the  third  and  sixth  divisions.     National  Music 

Course  (revised  edition)  in  the  schools  of  the  first  and  second 

divisions. 

HIGH    SCHOOLS. 

Efiglish.  —  Abbott's  How  to  Write  Clearly.  Hill's  or 
Kellogg's  Rhetoric.  Meiklejohn's  English  Language.  Scott's 
Lady  of  the  Lake.  Selections  from  Addison's  Papers  in 
the  Spectator,  with  Macaulay's  Essay  on  Addison.  Irv- 
ing's  Sketch-Book.  Trevelyan's  Selections  from  Macaulay. 
Hales'  Longer  English  Poems.  Shakspeare,  —  Rolfe's  or 
Hudson's  Selections.  Selections  from  Chaucer.  Selections 
from  Milton.  [Clarendon  Press  Edition.  Vol.  L]  Worces- 
ter's Comprehensive  Dictionary. 

1  The  revised  edition  to  be  furnished  at  the  discretion  of  the  Committee  on 
Supplies  to  schools  where  this  book  is  used.  Swinton's  Grammar-School 
Geography  allowed  in  Charlestown  Schools. 

2  The  revised  edition  to  be  supplied  as  new  books  are  needed. 


TEXT-BOOKS.  .  201 

Latin.  —  Allen  &  Greenough's  Latin  Grammar.  [Rox- 
bury,  W.  Roxbiiry,  and  Brighton  High  Schools.]  Harkness' 
Latin  Grammar.  [English,  Girls',  Dorchester,  Charlestown, 
and  East  Boston  High  Schools.]  Harkness'  Complete 
Course  in  Latin  for  the  first  year.  Gildersleeve's  Latin 
Primer.  Collar  &  Daniell's  Beginners'  Latin  Book.  [Rox- 
bury,  West  Roxbury,  and  Brighton  High  Schools.]  Hark- 
ness' Caesar.  Lindsey's  Cornelius  Nepos.  Chase's,  Frieze's, 
or  Greenough's  Virgil,  or  any  edition  approved  by  the  Com- 
mittee on  Text-Books.  Greenough's  or  Harkness'  Cicero. 
Chase's  or  Lincoln's  Horace,  or  any  edition  approved  by  the 
Committee  on  Text-books. 

History.  —  ^  Anderson's  New  General  History.  Martin's 
Civil  Government. 

Mythology.  —  Berens's  Hand-book  of  Mythology. 

Mathematics.  —  Meservey's  Book-keeping.  Bradbury  & 
Emery's  Academic  Algebra.  ^  Wentvvorth  &  Hill's  Exer- 
cises in  Algebra.  Bradbury's  Elementary  Geometry,  or  Chau- 
venet's  Geometry,  or  Wells's  Geometry.  Greenleaf s  Trig- 
onometry.    ^Metric  Apparatus. 

Physics.  —  Cooley's  New  Text-book  of  Physics.  Avery's 
Physics,  or  Gage's  Introduction  to  Physical  Science. 

Astro7iomy.  —  Sharpless  &  Phillips'  Astronomy. 

Chemistry.  —  Williams's  Chemistry.  Williams's  Laboratory 
Manual.  Eliot  &  Storer's  Elementary  Manual  of  Chemistry, 
edited  by  Nichols.  Eliot  &  Storer's  Qualitative  Analysis. 
Hill's  Lecture  Notes  on  Qualitative  Analysis.  Tables  for  the 
Determination  of  Common  Minerals.  [Girls'  High  School.] 
White's  Outlines  of  Chemical  Theory. 

1  To  be  dropped  from  list  of  authorized  text-books,  July  i,  1S90. 

2  This  book  is  not  intended  to,  and  does  not  in  fact  displace  any  text-book 
now  in  use,  but  is  intended  merely  to  furnish  additional  problems  in  algebra. 

3  Not  exceeding  ^15  for  each  school. 


202  TEXT-BOOKS. 

Botany.  —  Gray's  School  and  Field  Book  of  Botany. 

Zoology.  —  Morse's  Zoology  and  Packard's  Zoology. 

Physiology.  —  Hutchinson's  Physiology.  Blaisdell's  Our 
Bodies  and  How  We  Live. 

Draiving.  —  American  Text-books  of  Art  Education. 

Music.  —  Eichberg's  High- School  Music  Reader.  Eich- 
berg's  Girls'  High-School  Music  Reader.  [Girls'  High 
School.] 

LATIN    SCHOOLS. 

Latin.  —  White's  Abridged  Lexicon.  Harkness'  Grammar. 
Harkness'  Reader.  Harkness'  Complete  Course  in  Latin 
for  the  first  year.  Harkness'  Prose  Composition,  or  Allen's 
Latin  Composition.  Harkness'  Caesar.  Lindsey's  Cornelius 
Nepos.  Greenough's  Catiline  of  Sallust.  Lincoln's  Ovid. 
Greenough's  Ovid.  Greenough's  Virgil.  Greenough's  or 
Harkness'  Orations  of  Cicero.  Smith's  Principia  Latina, 
Part  H. 

Greek.  —  Liddell  &  Scott's  Abridged  Lexicon.  Good- 
win's Grammar.  White's  Lessons.  Jones'  Prose  Composi- 
tion. Goodwin's  Reader.  The  Anabasis  of  Xenophon. 
Boise's  Homer's  Iliad.  Beaumlein's  Edition  of  Homer's 
Iliad. 

English.  —  Soule's  Hand-book  of  Pronunciation.  Hill's 
General  Rules  for  Punctuation.  Tweed's  Grammar  for 
Common  Schools  (in  fifth  and  sixth  classes).  Hawthorne's 
Wonder  Book.  Hawthorne's  Tanglewood  Tales.  Plutarch's 
Lives  of  Famous  Greeks  and  Romans.  Macaulay's  Lays  of 
Ancient  Rome.  Higginson's  History  of  the  United  States. 
Hughes'  Tom  Brown's  School-Days  at  Rugby.  Dana's 
Two  Years  before  the  Mast.  Charles  and  Mary  Lamb's 
Tales  fi-om  Shakspeare.  [Revised  Edition,  Houghton,  Mif- 
flin, &  Co.]     Scott's  Ivanhoe.     Hawthorne's  True   Stories. 


TEXT-BOOKS.  203 

Greene's  Readings  from  English  History.  ^Church's  Stories 
from  Homer.  ^  Church's  Stories  of  the  Old  World.  Selections 
from  American  Authors,  —  Franklin,  Adams,  Cooper,  and 
Longfellow.  American  Poems,  with  Biographical  Sketches 
and  Notes.  Irving's  Sketch-Book.  Selections  from  Addi- 
son's Papers  in  the  Spectator.  Ballads  and  Lyrics.  Hales' 
Longer  English  Poems.  Three  plays  of  Shakspeare,  — 
Rolfe's  or  Hudson's  Selections. 

History.  —  Leighton's  History  of  Rome.  Smith's  Smaller 
History  of  Greece.  Long's  or  Ginn  &  Heath's  Classical 
Atlas.  Smith's  Smaller  Classical  Dictionary,  —  Student's 
Series. 

Mythology.  —  Bulfinch's  Age  of  Fable. 

Geography.  —  Geikie's  Primer  of  Physical  Geography. 
Warren's  Common -School  Geography. 

Physiology.  —  Mace's  History  of  a  Mouthful  of  Bread. 
Foster's  Physiology  (Science  Primer).  Blaisdell's  Our  Bodies 
and  How  We  Live. 

Botany.  —  Gray's  School  and  Field  Book  of  Botany. 

Zoology.  —  Morse's  Zoology  and  Packard's  Zoology. 

Mineralogy.  —  Tables  for  the  Determination  of  Common 
Minerals.     [Girls'  Latin  School.] 

Mathematics. — The  Franklin  W^ritten  Arithmetic.  Brad- 
bury's Eaton's  Algebra.  ^  Wentworth  &  Hill's  Exercises 
in  Algebra.  Chauvenet's  Geometry.  Lodge's  Elementary 
Mechanics. 

Physics.  — Arnott's  or  Avery's  Physics,  or  Gage's  Physics. 

1  No  more  copies  of  Church's  Stories  from  Homer  to  be  purchased,  but 
as  books  are  worn  out  their  place  to  be  suppHed  with  Church's  Stories  of  the 
Old  World. 

2  This  book  is  not  intended  to,  and  does  not  in  fact,  displace  any  text- 
book now  in  use,  but  is  intended  merely  to  furnish  additional  problems  in 
algebra. 

V 


204  TEXT-BOOKS. 

Drawing.  —  American  Text-books  of  Art  Education. 

Music.  —  Eichberg's  High-School  Music  Reader.  Eich- 
berg's  Girls'  High-School  Music  Reader.  [Girls'  Latin 
School.] 


LATIN   AND    HIGH    SCHOOLS. 

French.  —  Keetel's  Elementary  Grammar.  Keetel's  Ana- 
lytical French  Reader.  Super's  French  Reader.  •*  Sauveur's 
Petites  Causeries.  Hennequin's  Lessons  in  Idiomatic  French. 
Gasc's  French  Dictionary.  Erckmann-Chatrian's  Le  Con- 
scrit  de  1813.  Erckmann-Chatrian's  Madame  Th^rese. 
Bocher's  College  Series  of  French  Plays.  Nouvelles  Gene- 
voises.  Souvestre's  Au  Coin  du  Feu.  Racine's  Andro- 
maque.  Racine's  Iphige'nie.  Racine's  Athalie.  Moliere's 
Bourgeois  Gentilhomme.  Moliere's  Precieuses  Ridicules. 
Corneille's  Les  Horaces.  Corneille's  Cid.  Herrig's  La 
France  Litteraire.  Roemer's  French  Course,  Vol.  H.  Ven- 
tura's Peppino.  HaMvy's  L'Abb6  Constantin.  La  Fon- 
taine's Fables.  About's  La  Mere  de  la  Marquise.  Daudet's 
Siege  de  Berlin.  Daudet's  Extraits.  Daudet's  La  Belle 
Nivarnaise. 

German.  —  Whitney's  German  Dictionary.  Whitney's 
Grammar.  Collar's  Eysenbach.  Otto's  or  Whitney's 
Reader.  Der  Zerbrochene  Krug.  Schiller's  Wilhelm  Tell. 
Schiller  s  Maria  Stuart.  Goethe's  Hermann  und  Dorothea. 
Putlitz's  Das  Herz  Vergessen.  Grimm's  Marchen.  Goethe's 
Prose.  Schiller's  Prose.  Stein's  German  Exercises.  Heine's 
Die  Harzreise.  Im  Zwielicht.  Vols.  I.  and  IL  Traumerein. 
Buckheim's  German  Poetry  for  Repetition. 

1  To  be  furnished  as  new  French  Readers  are  needed.  The  use  of  the  book 
confined  for  tliis  year  to  the  English,  Charlestown,  Roxbury,  and  West  Rox- 
bury  High  Schools. 


TEXT-BOOKS.  205 

NORMAL   SCHOOL   TEXT-BOOKS. 

The  text-books  used  in  this  school  shall  be  such  of  the 
text-books  used  in  the  other  public  schools  of  the  city  as  are 
needed  for  the  course  of  study,  and  such  others  as  shall  be 
authorized  by  the  Board. 

Normal  Music  Course. 

HORACE   MANN    SCHOOL   TEXT-BOOKS. 
Such  text-books  shall  be  supplied  to  the  Horace  Mann 
School  as  the  committee  on  that  school  shall  approve. 

EVENING   HIGH    SCHOOL   TEXT-BOOKS. 

Benn  Pitman's  Manual  of  Phonography.  Reporter's  Com- 
panion. The  Phonographic  Reader.  The  Reporter's  First 
Reader.     Bradbury's  Elementary  Geometry. 

The  text-books  used  in  this  school  shall  be  such  of  the 
text-books  autliorized  in  the  other  public  schools  as  are 
approved  by  the  Committee  on  Evening  Schools  and  the 
Committee  on  Supplies. 

East  Boston  Branch.  —  Graded  Lessons  in  Shorthand. 
Parts  I  and  2,  by  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Chandler. 

EVENING   ELEMENTARY   SCHOOL  TEXT-BOOKS. 

Munroe's  Charts.  Franklin  Primer.  Franklin  Reader. 
Stories  of  American  History.  Harper's  Introductory  Geog- 
raphy. The  Franklin  Elementary  Arithmetic.  The  Franklin 
Written  Arithmetic.  ^  Andersen's  Marchen.  Writing-books, 
Plain  Copy-books ;  and  such  of  the  text-books  authorized  in 
the  other  public  schools  as  are  approved  by  the  Committee 
on  Evening  Schools  and  the  Committee  on  Supphes. 

SCHOOLS    OF    COOKERY. 
Boston  School  Kitchen  Text-book,  by  Mrs.  D.  A.  Lincoln. 

1  In  schools  in  which  the  English  language  is  taught  to  German  pupils. 


206  REFERENCE-BOOKS. 


REFERENCE-BOOKS. 

PRIMARY   SCHOOLS. 

Worcester's  Comprehensive  Dictionary.  National  Music 
Teacher.  Munroe's  Vocal  Gymnastics.  Lessons  in  Color 
(one  copy  for  each  Primary -School  teacher's  desk).  White's 
Oral  Lessons  in  Number  (one  copy  for  each  Primary-Scliool 
teaciier's  desk).  Smith's  Primer  of  Physiology  and  Hygiene 
(one  copy  for  each  Primary-School  teacher's  desk). 

Observation  Lessons  in  the  Primary  Schools,  by  Mrs.  L.  P. 
Hopkins  (one  co])y  for  each  Primary-School  teacher's  desk). 

Simple  Object  Lessons  (two  series),  by  W.  Hewitt  Beck. 
Natural  History  Object  Lessons,  by  G.  Ricks  (one  set  of 
books  of  each  title  for  each  Primary-School  teacher's  desk). 

GRAMMAR   SCHOOLS. 

Appleton's  American  Encyclopaedia  or  Johnson's  Encyclo- 
paedia. Chambers's  Encyclopaedia.  Anthon's  Classical  Dic- 
tionary.    Thomas's  Dictionary  of  Biography  and  Mythology. 

Worcester's  Quarto  Unabridged  Dictionary.  Webster's 
Quarto  Unabridged  Dictionary.  Webster's  National  Picto- 
rial Dictionary. 

Lippincott's  Gazetteer.  Johnson's  Atlas.  Reclus'  Earth. 
Reclus'  Ocean.  Flammarion's  Atmosphere.  Weber's  Uni- 
versal History.  Bancroft's  History  of  the  United  States. 
Battle  Maps  of  the  Revolution.  Palfrey's  History  of  New 
England.  Martin's  Civil  Government.  Frothingham's  Rise 
of  the  Republic.  Lossing's  Field-book  of  the  Revolution. 
Shurtleff's  Topographical  History  of  Boston.  Frothingham's 
Siege  of  Boston.  Lingard's  History  of  England.  Smith's 
Primer  of  Physiology  and  Hygiene  (one  copy  for  the  desk 
of  each  teacher  of  the  fifth  and  sixth  classes). 


REFERENCE-BOOKS.  20/ 

Goold-Brown's  Grammar  of  English  Grammars.  Wilson's 
Punctuation.  Philbrick's  Union  Speaker.  Methods  of  Teach- 
mg  Geography  (one  copy  for  each  teacher  of  Geography). 

First  Classes.  —  Physiography  (Longmans  &  Co.).  Copies 
for  teachers'  desks. 

Second  Classes.  —  Harper's  Cyclopaedia  of  United  States 
History. 

Maps  and  Globes.  —  Cutter's  Physiological  Charts.  Charts 
of  the  Human  F3ody  (Milton  Bradley  &  Co.).  White's  Mani- 
kin. Cornell's  Series  Maps,  or  Guyot's  Series  Maps,  Nos. 
I,  2,  3.  (Not  exceeeding  one  set  to  each  floor.)  Hughes's 
Series  of  Maps.  Joslyn's  fifteen-inch  Terrestrial  Globe,  on 
Tripod  (one  for  each  Grammar  School).  Nine-inch  Hand 
Globe,  Loring's  Magnetic  (one  for  each  Grammar  School 
room).  Cosmograph.  O.  W.  Gray  &  Son's  Atlas.  (To  be 
furnished  as  new  atlases  are  needed.) 

LATIN    AND    HIGH    SCHOOLS. 

Lingard's  History  of  England.  Harper's  Latin  Lexicon. 
Liddell  &  Scott's  Greek  Lexicon,  unabridged.  Eugene's 
French  Grammar.  Labberton's  Historical  Atlas  and  Gen- 
eral History  (one  book  for  the  desk  of  each  teacher).  Guy- 
ot's and  Cameron's  Maps  of  the  Roman  Empire,  Greece, 
and  Italy.  Strang's  English  Lessons  (for  use  on  teachers' 
desks). 

NORMAL   SCHOOL. 

Observation  Lessons  in  Primary  Schools,  by  Mrs.  L.  P. 
Hopkins  (one  set). 

NORMAL   AND    HIGH    SCHOOLS. 

Charts  of  Life.  Wilson's  Human  Anatomical  and  Physi- 
ological Charts.     Hough's  American  Woods. 


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